Posting Comic Bits On-Line Isn't Funny

Comedian C K Lewis

Comedian Louis C.K. is trying to make a comeback after admitting to #MeToo accusations of masturbating in front of women without their consent, but while he's undoubtedly grateful to the audience members who are coming to see him perform, he's also giving them a legal warning.

The New York Times reported that the Ace Comedy Company in Minneapolis put out a legal notice for Louis C.K.'s four-night stint there last week that said he owns all the rights to his jokes and other material, and if anyone shares that material without his, quote, "express prior written consent" they could be subject to legal action.

Other comedians have expressed anger and frustration at their material being recorded and posted online, and it's becoming more and more common for audience members to have to surrender their phones at comedy shows.

The owner of the Comedy Cellar in New York, Noam Dworman, who's a friend of Louis C.K., told the Times, "They spend a year or two working on material that is the basis of their income, and then it ends up in an unfinished form online for free. It's terrible for them."

But it's unclear if Louis C.K.'s legal threat is enforceable. The Times cited legal experts as saying it's a tricky issue that depends on whether a joke or sketch is considered more than an idea, since an idea can't be copyrighted.