题目内容
Filmmaker Jennifer Nelson had to pay $1,500 to have “Happy Birthday to You” sung in the movie she’s making. The money went to Warner Music Group, a company that claims to own the copyright on the song. A copyright is the legal right to use or sell a creative product such as a song, a TV show, a book, or a work of art. Warner has claimed the copyright for “Happy Birthday to You” since 1988.
“I never thought the song was owned by anyone,” Nelson said in an e-mail to The New York Times. “I thought it belonged to everyone.”
Nelson’s movie is a documentary(纪录片)— a film that uses pictures and/or interviews with people to create a factual report of real-life events — and is actually about the history of the “Happy Birthday” song itself.
Two sisters named Mildred and Patty Hill wrote a song called “Good Morning to All” in 1893. Over a short period of time, people began to sing the words “happy birthday to you” in place of the original lyrics to the tune of the Hill sisters’ song.
A number of history experts say that there is no record of who actually wrote the “Happy Birthday to You” lyrics(歌词). Historians also say there is no way to know when the general public began singing the “Happy Birthday” song, but they believe it was being sung by the public long before it was printed and owned by a company.
Nelson’s lawyers say this piece of music’s history proves that “Happy Birthday to You” belongs to everyone in the general public. That would mean Warner Music Group has no right to charge anyone a fee to sing the song in any setting.
Experts estimate that Warner/ Chappell, the publishing division of the Warner Music Group, has made about $2 million a year from licensing fees for “Happy Birthday to You.”
Nelson’s lawyers are asking a court in New York City to order Warner/Chappell to return fees they have collected over the past four years for use of the “Happy Birthday” song.
1.Jennifer Nelson had to pay Warner Music Group to ____________.
A. own the copyright on a song
B. have it write a song for her movie
C. have it play a song in her movie
D. have a song sung in her movie
2.The history experts’ statement can prove that the “Happy Birthday” song ____________.
A. does not belong to Warner Music Group
B. has more than 200 years’ history
C. was initially owned by another company
D. has always been very popular
3.According to Nelson’s lawyers, to sing the “Happy Birthday” song, people ____________.
A. should pay the Hill sisters
B. should pay Warner Music Group
C. need not pay for any purpose
D. need not pay except for commercial use
4.If the court supports Nelson’s lawyers’ claim, ____________.
A. she can obtain the copyright on the song
B. Warner will return about $8 million
C. Warner will have to pay her for her damages
D. she only needs to pay a little money to use the song
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ID systems are used as a means for people to prove their identity, as a means of access control, or for many other situations. ID cards also contain a lot more information than simply the name of the holder. All ID cards contain information that is relevant to the institution that released them, so there is no single model that applies to all ID cards.
Different institutions have different rules when it comes to ID cards, and ID cards used by students, in universities, will not have the same security features as those used in the military, for example. The more important the institution is, the more important the security is, and the more security features will be used to prevent duplication(复制) of an ID card.
Anyone with a printer that can print ID cards can duplicate in ID card, if it does not have any security measures. There have been lots of cases, especially in low security institutions, where ID cards have been duplicated and this was not noticed, since the person holding the card usually flashed it when it was requested, and that was not enough to notice that it is a fake.
That may not be extremely important when it is simply a case of a student trying to enter the campus of another university, but it can be of vital importance if it happens in a military institution. Checks in military institutions are much stricter and the personnel checking the card are always trained to spot fakes in a short amount of time.
Some may think that creating an ID card is extremely difficult, but it is not. All it takes is a special printer that can print ID cards, a model and a photo ID. The fact that such printers can be freely ordered online has raised security issues with lots of companies and institutions, and most have decided to either create their own ID cards, or simply use more advanced security features that regular home-users do not have access to. This includes magnetic stripes(磁条), chips, barcodes(条形码),and other methods. This does increase the cost of the card per person, so the total cost of the cards increases based on the number of employees the company has, but it also reduces security risks to a minimum.
So ID systems, as basic as they seem, are an excellent security measure for any institution. To ensure that the IDs look good and function properly, the company that handles the card printing services should be top-class. Trying to save some money by choosing a cheaper provider is not really wise. While some companies offer bonuses for large orders, if the quality provided is not of the highest standard, it is not worth it.
ID systems | |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
1.______ to ID system | There is not a single model 2._____ to all ID cards because of different information contained in different ID cards. Different security features are decided by the degree of the 3.____ of the institutions |
Security features of ID cards | With no security measures quite a lot of 4.______ of ID card duplication have happened. In a military institution ID cards are 5._____ more strictly |
6._______ of ID cards | It is not7.______ to make ID cards with special printers. Using magnetic stripes, chips and barcodes8.______ the safety of ID cards. |
The author’s advice | 9._______ basic and simple, ID systems are an excellent security measure. It’s wise to 10._____ top-class providers or services to ensure ID cards of a fine quality. |