[HiTech RedNeck]

The asking permission stuff is a courtesy. I suppose if Al wanted he could grant the original owner an interest in his parody, but Al doesn't legally NEED it any more than U-2 needed it from Roy Acuff Music. Fair use needs no license.

[supercat]

I suppose if Al wanted he could grant the original owner an interest in his parody, but Al doesn't legally NEED it any more than U-2 needed it from Roy Acuff Music.

If I remember right, in the case to which you refer, the parody song borrowed the familar d d f# a C F# E D riff of the original, but was melodically quite different. Courts have held in some other cases that a parody which rewrites words but not the melody (as is the case with Weird Al's) must obtain copyright clearance for the melody. A compulsory license is not sufficient--the license must be negotiated and the composer has the right to refuse (in which case the person doing the parody has to come up with original parodied music).