A trending story last week was Courtney Love’s accusation that Olivia Rodrigo copied the cover of Live Through This, which was released by Love’s band Hole in 1994:

Love has clarified that her complaint is that she wasn’t asked, calling Rodrigo’s actions “rude.” A lot of people agree with Love that it was rude not to ask.

The question must be asked, however, “What lawyer would advise a client to ask?”

We all know that if you ask, you have to accept the answer. There is no coming back from asking for permission, being denied, and going ahead anyway. If you believe what you are doing is appropriate and plan to proceed anyway, asking is an unnecessary risk.

So was Rodrigo rude not to ask, was she just following her lawyer’s advice, or both?