Billy Lee and Stephen Clark,
I'll tell you something interesting that relates to this. You both reference my song "TABLES AND CHAIRS." That song has been pretty good to me, a lot of people identify me with it, and request it often.
Not many days go by that I don't have someone reference or direct me to a video of myself and others doing that song. I guess it is sort of one of my :greatest hits" that has never been an actual hit. Cool to be known for something.

But here's the interesting point. I used to be known for a song called "MY WISH."

I wrote it in the early 2000's, by myself, as a tribute to songwriters and the dream. I closed every show, included it on three different CD's. It was requested all the time, and another one of my "greatest hits." that people used to talk about.

One day I started getting emails and phone calls congratulating me on my "new Rascal Flatts" cut called "MY WISH." I didnt realize that I HAD a new Rascal Flatts cut and was intriqued to say the least. It went on for a few weeks and I just played it off and said "thank you,:

Then, I heard "MY WISH" by Rascall Flatts and there were some similarties. There was a decending melody line and the sentiment was very similar to mine .And I saw who wrote it.

JEFFERY STEEL, one of Nashville's top writers. In fact, I had played that song ONSTAGE WITH Jefferey Steele and number of times. He'd heard the song.

But aside from some vague similarties, a little thing here and there, they were two RADICALLY different songs. I never said anything because he DIDN'T STEAL anything. Both our songs had similarities to other songs. The term "MY WISH" is a very common term. Ever heard of GREETING CARDS? (I actually did one with that song and a CD in the card.)

But because the Rascal Flatts cut was a HUGE number one, I just quit doing mine because it would seem like I was playing follow the leader. So instead, I started playing a song I had written five years before and completely forgot about. TABLES AND CHAIRS.

See? I don't believe in any of this copyright nonsense.
I just don't. Others can go sue till their heart's content, jump up and down and scream and yell. Someone can take some of these famous copyright cases, pick up the mantle, get a lawyer, (no shortage of those that will take cases) spend the money, do the briefs, do the thousands of hours of leg work, get musicologists, spend more money, get it on a court docket, wait years or decades for it to come up, destroy their reputations, and have a great time judicating these things.

I'll be writing other songs or just living my life. And that's my whole philosophy of everything.
by Marc Alan Barnette
www.marcalanbarnette.com