consent

Louis C.K. Is Doing Everything in His Power to Keep You From Recording His Sets

Photo: Ben Gabbe/2017 Getty Images

Louis C.K. is touring again, and this time nobody is going to be able to record his Parkland material, or whatever. Writer James Shotwell pointed out on Twitter the steps a club in Minneapolis (unnamed in the tweet, but the same text is on Acme’s website) is taking to ensure the protection of C.K.’s material from reproduction. “In addition to adding YONDR pouches to his gigs, he also requires them to share this copyright notice that I have never before seen a comedian share/post,” Shotwell wrote. Some Twitter users suspect that C.K. is using the copyright hoopla to keep people from outrage-posting about whatever he’s talking about now. Others pointed out the irony of C.K. demanding consent for something. But taping without consent is a real problem for comedians. Once a joke is recorded, it’s considered pretty much “dead.” You can’t make money off your dead material, which is possibly why Conan writer Laurie Kilmartin agrees with the copyright disclaimer but strongly disagrees with C.K. still being booked in clubs: “Louis is a piece of shit and the comedy business still sucks but co-sign on this copyright stuff.”

No Quoting Louis C.K. Without His Consent