By Lori Ewing
MILAN, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate said he will be allowed to use music from the “Minions” film franchise when he competes in the men’s short programme after Universal Studios reversed its earlier objection.
Guarino Sabate had revealed on Monday that a copyright clearance issue would prevent him from using the music at the Olympics despite performing with it throughout the season.
“Huge thank you to everyone who reposted, shared, and supported,” he wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. “Because of you, Universal Studios reconsidered and officially granted the rights for this one special occasion.
“There are still a couple of things to be tied up with the other two music of the program, but we are so close to accomplishing it! And it’s all thanks to you.”
The programme’s music is a montage of four different songs, including “Vicious Funk” by Heitor Pereira and “Freedom” by Pharrell Williams.
The Spaniard had said he followed all required procedures and submitted the music through the ISU ClicknClear system in August, and only learned about the copyright clearance issue on Friday.
Guarino Sabate dresses in a yellow t-shirt and blue overalls for his performance to resemble the popular animated characters. The “Minions” franchise is owned by Illumination, which is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures. The 26-year-old said he chose the music to bring joy and a playful style to the ice and show that “skating as a male Olympic figure skater can be fun”. “I’m so happy to see that the Minions hitting Olympic ice is becoming real again!!” he posted on Tuesday. “I’ll keep you posted!”
The International Skating Union said copyright clearances can represent a challenge for all artistic sports.
“While the ISU does not have a contractual relationship with ClicknClear, we continue to work collaboratively with rights clearance stakeholders to ensure that thrilling performances can be accompanied by stirring music,” the ISU said in a statement on Monday.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Additional reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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