copywrite and liscensing

[dagosto]

I know the old poor man's method (registered mail) for copywriting but it has been a while since I've read anything on the real methods. Anybody have any good methods to make sure your music stays yours.

[johnS]

This was pretty informative.

Basically, if you write it and it's original, you own the copyright. Now, how you prevent your copyright from being infringed is another matter entirely, especiall on the Web.

[smopo24]

retain a good lawyer, and sue someone's ass!

[dagosto]

thanks john, nice link

[H.I.Z.]

Of course, copywrites are inherent, but how does One prove person(s) of origin? Registering with the Library of Congress brings in to play the deciding third party. And of course provable live performance of pieces help secure time lines, but there's no substitute for Big Bully Brother ...

[mikegee]

Originally Posted by H.I.Z.

Of course, copywrites are inherent, but how does One prove person(s) of origin? Registering with the Library of Congress brings in to play the deciding third party. And of course provable live performance of pieces help secure time lines, but there's no substitute for Big Bully Brother ...

so true. and also, in terms of proving you were the author, besides having the registered copyright, is to have "creative process" documentation of the song. for instance, if you wrote the lyrics, you may have rough draft lyric pages in your notebook, or even better, on your computer, with a time/date stamped proof of the file, proving the evolution of the song from inception, and also any rough demo recordings, also showing the natural progression of the songs creation, from start, to end. it shows a natural timeline of the creative process, almost irrefutable...

[Whoopysnorp]

From what I've read, there's no substitute for paying the fee and having whatever you want to copyright registered with the Library of Congress. Otherwise, you have absolutely no way to prove who came up with an idea first.

[smopo24]

Originally Posted by dagosto

I know the old poor man's method (registered mail) for copywriting but it has been a while since I've read anything on the real methods. Anybody have any good methods to make sure your music stays yours.

i've heard that they've now put a moritorium on the "poor man's coppywright" within the last few years. now everything must be done with the proper forms for it to be considered as evidence in a court of law.

[dolivas]

I would suggest an alternative to standard copyright would be to obtain a Creative Commons license:
http://creativecommons.org/audio/

Quick, easy to get and should give you a great modicum of copyright control.

[Whoopysnorp]

Something else I read in Confessions of a Record Producer is that no matter what you do to copyright your stuff, there's not a whole lot you can do about it if you get infringed upon by some big-name artist. Since they can afford a bunch of high-priced lawyers and you're some schlub living in a studio apartment, they can either buy you off with a pittance or lawyer you into the ground. Historically, juries tend to decide in favor of the big star even in cases where it's pretty clear they are in the wrong.