Saturday, 15th July 2006

14.39

Bredonborough.

A Beautiful Day I…

Over the way at World HQ, an office is coming closer to use.

Left…

15.16    Anyone interested in the interests of Mr. Bob Carruthers, away from
Classic Rock Productions, might hit the following hyperlinks…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/scottish/5164916.stm

Edinburgh Gunners are to become a franchise, ensuring the future of Glasgow Warriors and Border Reivers as well as Scotland’s capital club.

Story from BBC SPORT: Published: 2006/07/10 10:52:39 GMT © BBC MMVI

The Scottish Rugby Union had warned that funding problems could force it to scrap one of its Celtic League sides. But a private company headed by businessmen Alex and Bob Carruthers has agreed to finance the new Edinburgh

Rugby Limited for the next five years… The new club will continue to play their home games at Murrayfield "for the foreseeable future".

 Author, film producer and music promoter Bob Carruthers, who already sponsors Kirkcaldy rugby club, will become the principal shareholder in the new agreement.

Brother Alex - who was a member of various international age group squads, Scotland Under-21s and Caledonia Reds - will be executive chairman, with a managing director yet to be announced…

The Carruthers group of companies will also become the SRU’s official concert promoter, with plans to bring some music and entertainment shows to the stadium in the future.

"The likely injection of music concerts and other events here at Murrayfield will allow us to make better use of our world class national stadium in the future," said (SRU chief executive Gordon) McKie.

Finding backers for Edinburgh comes 10 weeks after the SRU announced it would seek joint venture partnerships with external investors in an effort to stem a core debt of more than £23m. The Carruthers group were among 12 potential partners who have had talks with the SRU since then.

Bob Carruthers said: "We are rugby fans through and through and to take over the running of the Edinburgh team is very special. The sport has much to offer and we see tremendous scope to develop mutually beneficial plans here at Murrayfield."

The home of Scottish Rugby on the net has this to say...

Bob Carruthers will be the principal shareholder in the new agreement. Perhaps best known as an author, film producer and music promoter, he and his brother Alex were born in Kirkcaldy, where Bob is a sponsor of Kirkcaldy RFC. He has bases in both England and abroad. Commenting on the news Bob Carruthers said, “Alex and I are hugely excited by our new partnership with Scottish Rugby. We are rugby fans through and through and to take over the running of the Edinburgh team is very special. The sport has much to offer and we see tremendous scope to develop mutually beneficial plans here at Murrayfield.”

As part of the deal with Scottish Rugby, the Carruthers group of companies will become the SRU’s official concert promoter, with plans to bring some music and entertainment shows to the stadium in the future. Gordon McKie commented, “Bob and Alex Carruthers have wider interests in addition to rugby and the likely injection of music concerts and other events here at Murrayfield will allow us to make better use of our world class national stadium in the future.”

Well.

I note, once again, that the Classic Rock Productions’ Inside The Music: King Crimson contains unpublished & therefore unlicensed material of which I am the copyright owner. It follows that the release of this was illegal, and any sales of the title improper. DGM acted to prevent the mainstream distribution of this shoddy product in the UK, via Pinnacle, during April & May of 2005. I fail to understand, then, why Classic Rock Direct (which recently became Warwick Media Group Distribution Ltd.) continued to sell this illegal release via their CRD website, following our extensive correspondence to Messrs. Carter Ruck (acting for Mr. Carruthers) demonstrated to them the CRP lack of proper licensing. I note also that neither myself, DGM, nor our solicitor have received a reply to the many detailed points of contention raised in that correspondence.

I know that online sales took place because we bought several KC Inside The Music DVDs from the Classic Rock Direct website, and I have the receipt. The DVD was put up on Amazon.com in the US & we acted to have it taken down.

But within the past two months, KC Inside The Music has become available for sale via Amazon in several territories around the world, including the US, Canada, Germany & Japan. I have received no explanation as to who authorised making the title available for sale on Amazon, nor on what basis this illegal product might have been made manufactured and sold. Several sales were made from Amazon in the US, and we know this because customer reviews were posted.

If I felt that an answer would be forthcoming, I would ask my solicitor to direct these questions to Mr. Carruthers through his legal representatives. Regrettably, our experience suggests that Mr. Carruthers and/or his representatives are unwilling to reply to detailed enquiries regarding, for example, on what basis CRP or its affiliates is/are prepared to manufacture & sell a product lacking the necessary permissions.

Cf this diary for Thursday 25th. May, 2006…

21.30  Well! Classic Rock Direct http://www.classicrockdirect.com/ has changed its name to Warwick Media Distribution. I notice, with interest, that King Crimson – Inside The Music: An Independent Critical Review With David Cross is not a featured product.

I wonder to what extent DGM’s response to this pitiful product’s planned release, a product which violated a number of professional requirements, including proper licensing & accreditation, played a part in halting the shop release of this in the UK; although it was sold by mail order from the Classic Rock website, violating licensing & publishing requirements and, I suggest, also my moral rights as an artist. There is, in addition, no mention of this on Amazon in the UK… 

Only Eyes Wide Open is available, a legitimate release.

However, let’s look at Amazon in the US…

Canada?…

The cover artwork on all these sites has An Independent Critical Review, and not the An Independent Critical Review With David Cross cover. My own copy of the DVD, bought by mail order from the CRP website & sent from their warehouse on the Heathcote Industrial Estate, outside Warwick in the UK, has the alternative cover An Independent Critical Review With David Cross; and I have the receipt for this purchase, showing that despite the arguments our lawyer presented demonstrating the illegitimacy of the release, CRP was prepared to sell it to me, regardless, in July 2005.

Well. There we are.

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