You can’t say that, because the bullies own it BY HENRY KISOR

Then there was Michael Batt, the avant-garde composer who was sued for creating a work called “One Minute’s Silence,” which was exactly that: a moment of nothing. He was charged with infringing on a similar piece by John Cage, a period of silence that lasted more than four minutes. “Mine is a much better silent piece,” Batt declared. “I have been able to say in one minute what Cage could only say in four minutes and thirty-three seconds.”

According to Bollier, Batt’s mother asked him, “Which part of the silence are they claiming you nicked?”

Unfortunately Batt settled, yielding a “six-figure sum” to the other side. It was cheaper than fighting.