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Post subject: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:42 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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I have songs I want to copyright what are the steps. Do you need a copy of all the songs on a CD and the lyric ? Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:24 pm
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Everything (and maybe even too much everything) you need to know:

http://www.copyright.gov/

If you look around, I believe there are tutorials.

And a Caution: There is a technique called the "Poor Man's Copyright" whereby you put your work(s) in to an envelope and then mail it to yourself. Allegedly the postal date stamp confirms authorship. I have read that this does not hold up in a court of law. You must have a Copyright from the US Government.


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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:56 pm
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I better start reading Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:15 pm
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goodinbed wrote:
I better start reading Thanks


Don't man. The previous poster doesn't know $@!&.

Believing what a clown on the internet posted is a waste of time. Just record your songs. That's all. If P-Diddy samples them later,ask for a royalty.

http://www.ascap.com/

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:40 am
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WhatsThatSmell wrote:
Everything (and maybe even too much everything) you need to know:

http://www.copyright.gov/

If you look around, I believe there are tutorials.

And a Caution: There is a technique called the "Poor Man's Copyright" whereby you put your work(s) in to an envelope and then mail it to yourself. Allegedly the postal date stamp confirms authorship. I have read that this does not hold up in a court of law. You must have a Copyright from the US Government.


That old method is no longer accepted because they say you could just mail yourself an unsealed envelope and then add contents later. It is however acceptable to send stuff back to yourself via certified mail as the post office label will cover the flap and is dated by an official government office. Still not as good as a legit registered copyright.

To the OP. A real copyright is when you register your lyrics with the library of congress. There is a fee for each registration, but you can register up to 10 items at once, for the same price. So I always wait until I have ten songs and send them in all at once. If you record your music, sending in a recorded copy is even better than sending in just the lyrics.
The link what's that smell posted is the right place.

DHD wrote:
Don't man. The previous poster doesn't know $@!&.

Believing what a clown on the internet posted is a waste of time. Just record your songs. That's all. If P-Diddy samples them later,ask for a royalty.


That's a bold statement, that the previous poster doesn't know s**t. The link he posted is the ONLY place to register a copyright that will hold up in court in the US. And you can ask for royalties all you want, but simply recording music is not enough for the court to award royalties to anyone who's original material has been sampled/used without permission.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:19 am
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OK. so some dude calling himself "goodinbed" is writing songs that major artists are going to plagarise unless he gets them copyrighted?

Gotcha!!!

That's awesome.

Hey goodinbed (BTW that's not what your wife told me) good luck with the info from the cats who really know wussup.

Come back to fender boards and ask any question about anything. Got health issues? Ask here. Your brakes squeaking? ask here.

There is no question that can't be answered by the experts HERE. They are ALL qualified because they post on the internet.

Awesome.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:36 am
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DHD wrote:
OK. so some dude calling himself "goodinbed" is writing songs that major artists are going to plagarise unless he gets them copyrighted?

Gotcha!!!

That's awesome.

Hey goodinbed (BTW that's not what your wife told me) good luck with the info from the cats who really know wussup.

Come back to fender boards and ask any question about anything. Got health issues? Ask here. Your brakes squeaking? ask here.

There is no question that can't be answered by the experts HERE. They are ALL qualified because they post on the internet.

Awesome.


I am certainly qualified to answer the question in this original post; I have about 50 copyrighted songs; and before I spent money to register them I researched the laws cause I didn't feel like wasting the money if it wasn't necessary to do so. I can also help with a brake job too if that's the question.
And what does a screename have to do with someones songwriting abilities? For all we know he could be the best songwriter out there; I haven't heard his songs, have you?
Say what you want from behind your keyboard, nobody's impressed.
I'm done with this post.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 3:26 am
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Side-stepping the heated words above, there is a significant misconception about copyright here which needs addressing.

Copyright is a form of "intellectual property right", along with patents and trademarks. A very important difference between copyright and the other two is that there is no such thing as "registering" copyright, contrary to what has been said earlier on this thread. If you compose a song (or write a novel or paint a picture or take a photograph) you automatically own its copyright from that moment forth, without having to take any further action. You don't need to register it, and there exists no machinery for so doing.

HOWEVER. If your ownership of the song (or other creative entity: novel, painting, etc) is ever in contention then you will need to be able to prove TWO things. First, that you composed it earlier than the person from whom you wish to charge a royalty. Second, that the other person had access in some form to your composition and therefore can have plagiarised it, rather than merely coming up with a very similar composition completely independently.

Those two points are what legal disputes over copyright hinge around. In the case of the first - the timing of your composition - that is what the various methods discussed above are there to attempt to establish. Publishing the song (issuing it on a CD or as sheet music, for example) is a very good way of proving that you composed it at a certain point in time. But since the world is full of guys in bedrooms writing songs that don't get published in any conventional sense, then that is what the methods such as mailing it to yourself (or better, your lawyer) by recorded delivery are there to attempt to accomplish. These are questionable forms of proof and if a case ever came to court would be open to the deepest scrutiny. So more fool-proof methods such as recording the song's existence with some third party organisation would be much better.

Read the links already given to find out how.

However, all of that is not enough to win a plagiarism case and so get your hands on some royalties. You also need to establish that the other person heard your song and so was able to copy it, violating your ownership. You will have to prove in court that he had access to your composition - and if you merely mailed it to yourself or your lawyer and then it was put away in a drawer you are not going to succeed. That's why this is incorrect:
DHD wrote:
Just record your songs. That's all. If P-Diddy samples them later, ask for a royalty.

If P-Diddy produces a song just like yours but can show that he never had occasion to hear your song and so rip it off then you are not going to win a case and get royalties out of him. And his very expensive lawyers know that full well.

IN SHORT. To earn royalties you not only have to establish that you composed a song before anyone else, you also have to put it out there in some form or other so that people can perform it and either pay you for the privilege, or get sued by you into so doing.

One or other or both of those points is what all cases of copyright infringement center on. There are many, many such cases, some very famous.

Cheers - C

PS: nobody here has to announce their credentials for posting on this Forum. The quality of the content of their post is all that counts. But just for what it's worth, not only do I have my own involvement with copyright law, but my wife is an authors' agent and protecting her clients' copyright worldwide (and making sure they don't abuse other people's) is the daily stuff of her professional life. You will find that the above information is accurate.

EDIT: spelling.

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Last edited by Ceri on Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 3:48 am
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Timmy?

Is that you boy?

I thought I read an 'I'm outta here drama queen' thread you started. How did that work out for ya killer?

Nevermind,you don't have to answer. It's not the PTSD from your vast combat experience that makes you a liar. It's just your PMS.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 3:53 am
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkJ1uy_IWCo

One rich person paid another rich person. No poor people were shafted. It's beautiful.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:00 am
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DHD wrote:
Timmy?

Is that you boy?

I thought I read an 'I'm outta here drama queen' thread you started. How did that work out for ya killer?

Nevermind,you don't have to answer. It's not the PTSD from your vast combat experience that makes you a liar. It's just your PMS.

Oh that's a nice one,dick-head-d...keep typing your insults....makes you look like a real tuff guy.


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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:21 am
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viewtopic.php?f=2&t=55771

Don't bogart the Midol. I need some.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:30 am
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Ceri nails it - - also google "creative commons license".

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:41 am
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From the website of the US library of congress.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap4.html#408

There is indeed such a thing as registering copyrights, and in the US, it is the only thing that will protect the rights of the owner of intellectual property. Anything else and the court will shrug you off and get on with something more important. Think what you will, but in the unlikely event someone wanted to rip of my music, I'll be covered.

edit...typo

DHD wrote:
Timmy?

Is that you boy?

I thought I read an 'I'm outta here drama queen' thread you started. How did that work out for ya killer?

Nevermind,you don't have to answer. It's not the PTSD from your vast combat experience that makes you a liar. It's just your PMS.


I never said anything about 'vast combat experience', I went on one deployment, never made any claims of anything more.
Seriously, I'm through with this conversation, it's not worth my time.

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Post subject: Re: Any one have any info on how to copyright your own music
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:50 am
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You can also register a copyright online at their website.
http://www.copyright.gov/eco/

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