NBC wrote a letter to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign staff Saturday citing copyright issues and unauthorized use of NBC News footage in a new ad they are running attacking Newt Gingrich.
Fox News reports David N. Sternlicht, vice president of media law at NBC, wrote a letter to Mr. Romney’s campaign requesting that they stop running their new “history lesson” ad that is currently running in Florida.
The ad features an NBC “Nightly News” clip from January 21st, 1997 featuring former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw talking about Mr. Gingrich who had been found guilty of ethics violations at the time.
In 1997, the House Ethics Committee filed 84 counts of ethics charges against Mr. Gingrich with a House vote of 395-28. He was fined $300,000, it was the first time in U.S. history that a House speaker had been found guilty of such a charge.
“Newt Gingrich, who came to power preaching a higher standard in American politics, a man who brought down another speaker on ethics accusations, tonight he has on his own record the judgement of his peers Democrat and Republican alike,” said Mr. Brokaw in the news clip.
Mr. Brokaw’s comments are accompanied by sinister sounding music in the background. At the end of the ad, Mr. Romney is heard saying “I’m Mitt Romney and I approve this message.”
In addition to running the advertisement on television in Florida, Mr. Romney also has the video posted to his presidential campaign website.
According to Mr. Sternlicht, the 1997 news clip was used without authorization from NBC News.
“Aside from the obvious copyright issues, this use of the voice of Mr. Brokaw and the NBC News name exploits him and the journalistic credibility of NBC News,” wrote Mr. Sterlicht in the letter to Mr. Romney’s staff.
Mr. Brokaw himself also released a statement via NBC News stating that he was “uncomfortable” with Mr. Romney’s campaign using him in their ad, according to Fox News.
A spokesman for Mr. Romney has reportedly denied receiving any such notification from NBC regarding the ad.
Mr. Romney and Mr. Gingrich have been aggressively attacking each other along the campaign trail and with ads this week leading up to Tuesday’s Florida Republican primary election.
Mr. Gingrich was also asked to remove a political figure from an ad he is currently running against Mr. Romney in Florida. In an appearance on Fox News this week, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said that he would like Mr. Gingrich to remove him from an ad that he is currently running that attacks Mr. Romney.
Mr. Gingrich’s ad uses comments from Mr. Huckabee that he said while running against Mr. Romney during the 2008 Republican primary race.
The most recent polls of likely Florida Republican primary voters project Mr. Romney winning the election, although there are still a significant amount of undecided voters in the Sunshine state.
