Chris Christie, 47, the GOP candidate for Governor of New Jersey in Tuesday's gubernatorial election, has used some Monty Python material without permission. The comedy troupe is none-to-happy. Christie is a lawyer, and a former U.S. attorney. He was appointed by George W. Bush as a U.S. Attorney in 2001 on Karl Rove's recommendation. The campaign advertisement, titled "Deja Vu," attacked incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. The problem is that is used scenes from a "Monty Python's Flying Circus" skit without permission. The ad, since removed, was on Christie's official YouTube campaign site, and already aired on national TV, which cannot be witdrawn.
Michael Palin, who appears in the skit use for the ad, was particularly upset that his image was by the Republican candidate without permission. He said, "I'm surprised that a former U.S. Attorney isn't aware of his copyright infringement when he uses our material without permission. He's clearly made a terrible mistake. It was the endorsement of Sarah Palin he was after, not that of Michael Palin."
Even when upset, Michael Palin is still the comedian.
Meanwhile, the group's Terry Jones said that they are strongly considering suing the Republican for his copyright infringement, saying "It is totally outrageous that a former US Attorney knows so little about the law that he thinks he can rip off people. On the other hand, another of Bush's legal appointees was Alberto Gonzales and he didn't seem to know much about the law either."
Christie and Corzine are in a hotly contested, and very close race for Governor of New Jersey. Normally a blue state, NJ is in play due to the dismal state of their economy.
It's not the first example of the GOP using copyrighted material without permission. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, John McCain ran afoul of copyright several times.
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