(NYC) Times Square busker and street-performer Bob Burck has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against CBS over a 'Bold and the Beautiful' promo. Burck filed for trademark on his act back in 1997. He now seems content to sue mega-conglomerates with questionable legal teams for his livelihood. M & M Mars was his previous infringement suit which was settled out of court.

This time around, he's accusing the CBS network of using a guitar-toting drunken fool in a cowboy hat and underwear to promote a TV soap opera. However, as Bob has mentioned in his "brief" run for NYC mayor, "Nobody will take you seriously without wearing a suit", so he's gearing up for his court date and sending his suit out to the cleaners.


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(THE NETHERLANDS) An article at TheCityAtEyeLevel.com in the Netherlands has published an article portraying busking as a viable means of rejuvenating city streets. Some city's methodology include Glasgow, Melbourne, and Singapore."Busking is at risk of being licensed out of existence, with permit systems, auditions, fees, written application processes, equipment bans, scheduling and branding making the spontaneous, surprising art in public spaces a thing of the past."

The article goes on to discuss street performing policy, proposed permit systems, and a starters guide to encouraging busking in your city.

Many buskers prefer to be self-regulated but there are always a few who abuse this type of system. This can lead to public disputes where there is strong disagreement.

For more info,...

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(CAMDEN TOWN) Holy guacamole! Camden has banned amplified street music and now requires unplugged performers to buy licenses.With the help of the Great Golden Kazoo in the sky, buskers have formed a church to sidestep the new busking laws. The Church of the Holy Kazoo has just been formed in the nick of time by buskers exercising the human right to "preach" in public.

It all started when Buskers staged a "street jam" in the heart of Camden to protest against the controversial new rules to license busking in the borough. Street performer Jonny Walker came up with the idea after Camden council's new laws required buskers to pay for licenses. He realized that street preaching is protected under freedom of expression laws so he set up the Church of the Holy Kazoo. It means Jonny...

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(BOULDER) A popular Pearl Street Mall busker is fighting deportation. Contortionist Ibashi-i Brown will meet with INS officials to learn his fate.

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(MALAYSIA) Kuala Lumpur has just legalized street-performing for which 200 have already auditioned.A jury of professional musicians will license the street-performers without any set limit of buskers to be selected.

With a population of 7.2 million people in greater Kuala Lumpur, there are over a 1000 happy buskers waiting to have their day.

Guidelines were being finalized but mainly the buskers must have a clean appearance and be disciplined enough to adhere to the designated time and location.

All that remains is finding suitable pitches in and around the city. Some areas may be modified to accompany busker performances.

Adjustments to the new legalization are to follow. As we've seen before, things can change around, flip-flop, flip again, then change back in as little as 1000 days. Hopefully, they'll...

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