Romeo's Heart

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Nu r s e ow *u !h . nd H l e i , wi n ! . o s e. & oo My nl na er ! oo sh ! ro e o y ndm un m e h at di# ar nl yoso i s ous ief han e l h y n th s %i #r t I iou y r s. u# s lo ofn )o i h mu o s e eis%e e t mea ou r y s e b n , i wi ou f o% it th t e r th u s e r , n r e li n p t o t l l h l knmo ru e #r an % #h d e pa of *u kil r o is n e w # li a a a d a d e n, f t f n l M an and a t lo at sh o% a ro en on , "h ck ar e ath e i nd m em ta st n, i d nc m y # ! e t a k y . u d su y s ai si ft e, i no o e e r ad m , so ne s t wn nl th ai e r d y t i e r m f y. o m to h $u ? s , al h ma o a e ks i se s ou r la te! ea It i i h he t t (r ho t t e! br " a o !h e n $

!yb. "hat, art thou drawn amon# these heartless hinds? !urn thee $en%olio! look upon thy death. $en. I do but keep the peace. &ut up thy sword, 'r mana#e it to part these men with me. !yb. "hat, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word (s I hate hell, all Monta#ues, and thee. Ha%e at thee, coward! nter !ybalt.

D.

T.

D. T. Hannah, 2007

Romeo's Heart D. T. Hannah As I was sitting at the desk in my study, I answered the phone after the first ring. He!!o"# $ames Ha!!" This an AI from the Department of %rose&utions. %!ease supp!y your identity &odes starting now.# 'ee!ing s!ight!y at unease, I supp!ied the &odes. It was not e(ery day you got a &a!! from a Department of %rose&utions AI and it was ne(er good. If the &omp!aint was sma!!, it wou!d )e reso!(ed o(er the phone whi&h meant that this &on(ersation had turned into a &ourt &ase. As soon as the identity &odes had transferred and )een &onfirmed, the emotion!ess (oi&e of the AI program &ontinued. *r. Ha!!, you ha(e )een dete&ted (io!ating &opyright. This &harge &arries a ma+imum pena!ty of nine thousand do!!ars for a first time offen&e. How do you p!ead"# *y stoma&h &hurned. ,hat &ou!d I ha(e done that (io!ated &opyright" As far as I knew a!! of my musi& and mo(ie !i&en&es were paid and up to date. I hadn#t p!ayed any media around more than fi(e peop!e and they were a!! friends and fami!y so I knew that their in&identa! !istener !i&en&es were a!! paid. -ut it was so hard to keep tra&k of e(erything these days. ,hat &ou!d it )e" I strained to remem)er what I was supposed to say in this situation. .m... %!ease supp!y more information on the e(ent.# The (io!ation &omp!aint refers to a pu)!i& performan&e of a deri(ati(e &opyrighted work on the date of the se(enteenth of August, 2//0. There is (ideo e(iden&e of the offen&e.# That was the day I got married. It was )e&oming &!earer. 1n!y !ast week, par!iament had passed !egis!ation that a!!owed &opyright ho!ders a&&ess to pri(ate (ideo &o!!e&tions to s&an for (io!ations. They had a &opy of my wedding (ideo and were retroa&ti(e!y suing me for something I did more than thirteen years ago. I don#t understand. ,hat performan&e" ,hat &opyrighted work"# In the tra&k !a)e!!ed2 307. 4room#s 5pee&h3 at appro+imate!y se(en thirty6 eight pm you to!d a story a)out two peop!e fa!!ing in !o(e and )ringing their disparate fami!ies together.# -ut that was a)out... ,ait a minute. I wrote that7# The &omp!aint is that the work is a deri(ati(e of the p!aintiffs &opyrighted work.# ,hi&h work is that"# 8omeo and $u!iet )y ,i!!iam 5hakespeare. 9urrent!y !i&ensed )y the Histori&a! ,orks 9opyright %rote&tion 'oundation.# -ut that#s ridi&u!ous7# *y (oi&e was determined, )ut inside my heart was sinking. The 'oundation was an inte!!e&tua! property )ased )usiness that had pur&hased thousands of works of art, musi&, fi!m, te!e(ision, )!ogs and other works of !iterature. It was )y far the most effi&ient at ferreting out en&roa&hments on its property, and )y far the most !itigious too. The AI &ontinued. Do you, or do you not a&know!edge the aforementioned &ompany is the proper owner of this important and histori&a! work"# 1f &ourse.# I a!most said2 I'm not eighty -ut the AI pro)a)!y wou!dn#t get the referen&e to the ageing hippies and open sour&e gee:ers of the !ast &entury who protested and e(en went to prison o(er refusing to a&&ept the go(ernments out!awing

and se!!ing off of 3their3 pu)!i& domain. ,hat I am asking,# I said through gritted teeth. Is how my story is simi!ar to 8omeo and $u!iet"# Item one2 The ma!e and fema!e !ead &hara&ters meet and fa!! in !o(e o(er the &oarse of the story.# ,e!! of &ourse they do. ;ou &an#t ho!d &opyright o(er a love story.# Item two2 The fema!e !ead &hara&ter is &a!!ed $u!ie. <ery simi!ar to $u!iet.# -ut not the ma!e. ,hat a)out him"# That is irre!e(ant. Item three2 The ma!e and fema!e !ead &hara&ters are from disparate and wea!thy fami!ies, known to )e in a )usiness ri(a!ry situation6# -ut that#s not simi!ar at a!!. $esus7# *r. Ha!!. Dire&ting )!asphemy or (er)a! a)use at an agent of the department of prose&utions is a fine6a)!e offen&e.# I#m sorry, I#m sorry. It was not dire&ted at you.# Norma!!y I wou!d ha(e fe!t si!!y apo!ogi:ing to an AI )ut I didn#t want to in&rease the amount of money I was going to !ose. These and fi(e other items gi(e your story a p!ot !ine simi!arity rating of three6hundred and thirty6four points. This is in e+&ess of the re=uired rating of three6 hundred points to )e &onsidered a deri(ati(e work. The fine has )een set )y the p!aintiff at fi(e6hundred and ninety6nine do!!ars. ;ou must pay within se(en days or risk further fines. ;ou &an &onta&t the department of prose&utions we)site for payment method options.# -ut wait a minute, &an#t I6# As the (a!ue of this fine is )e!ow the !ower !imit of si+ hundred do!!ars, no appea!s pro&ess &an )e entered into without in&urring further !ega! fees whi&h &an e+&eed up to and in&!uding two6thousand do!!ars for the first appea!. ;ou may &onta&t our we)site for more detai!s on app!ying for appea!s.# I &!amped my mouth shut. Not trusting myse!f to speak. ,hen payment is re&ei(ed you wi!! )e e+pe&ted to sign a gui!ty p!ea and a &ommitment not to re6offend. ;ou shou!d )e aware that any future )rea&hes of this agreement wou!d in&ur mu&h higher fines.# 5o I &an#t te!! this story in pu)!i& again"# I asked. *y temp!es were )eginning to thro). That is &orre&t. 1n&e these items are a&tuated this matter wi!! )e &onsidered &!osed. Do you understand"# ...# Do you understand *r. Ha!!"# The tone!ess (oi&e asked. I sighed. ;es. I understand.# Thank6you. This inter(iew is now o(er. Thank6you for your time and patien&e. ;ou may now hang up at any time. 4ood)ye.# The phone !ine went dead. I s!ammed the handset down. 'u&k7# ,hat was that a)out"# I >umped. I had not e(en heard my wife &ome into the study. 1h sorry, $u!ie. It#s nothing rea!!y. $ust some )u!!shit fine.#