Today’s Podcast

Today’s word was heard on the Daily Source Code earlier this week. Adam was talking about the unwillingness of a record producer to license his music for podcasting. Let’s listen.

Jurisprudence literally means the study or philosophy of law. Juris comes from the latin word iuri. For example the degree a lawyer takes is called a J.D.- Juris Doctor. Juris meaning law and doctor meaning they spent a long time in school. Prudence comes from the latin word prudentia meaning knowledge.

In practice jurisprudence is a noun that means the theory of law, the legal system or a branch of law as it is applied to the real world. This last definition is what Adam’s buddy used. This is also know as common or case law. He was telling Adam that if he let podcasters license music he would be setting the landscape, the precedence for licensing the music to podcasters. Presumably a precedence the rest of the music industry doesn’t want. They and their lawyers like being able to say we have never done that, we don’t do that. If a major music label breaks ranks the past jurisprudence will be muddled and a new jurisprudence or legal landscape may emerge. A landscape the music big shots might not like.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.