Stanford, Calif. - Major record label EMI and recording artist Yoko Ono have withdrawn all copyright infringement claims against Premise Media, the producers of a documentary called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" that uses a 15-second clip of a John Lennon song.

The claims were dropped after the New York Supreme Court denied a motion to prevent further showings of the film, concluding that plaintiffs were not likely to overcome Premise's "fair use" defense. A federal court rejected similar claims back in June.

"The right to use copyrighted material to criticize it is essential to free speech and public debate, and that's what was at stake here," said Anthony Falzone, executive director of Stanford Law School's Fair Use Project and lead counsel on the case.

"We think it was clear from the beginning that our clients had every right to use the 'Imagine' clip as they did, and we're happy we've vindicated that right."

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