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Conference napalm::heavy_metal

Title:HEAVY_METAL - Talent Round-Up DayDay
Notice:Rules-2.*,Directory-7.*,Roster-3.*,Garbage-99.*
Moderator:BUSY::SLABB
Created:Wed May 04 1988
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1238
Total number of notes:65616

718.0. "Copyright information" by USCTR1::EDEGAGNE (Mr. Ed the Talking Bassist) Tue Oct 24 1989 16:00

    
    
    Does anybody have any information on how I can copywrite my material
    that I have written?  I have almost fifty songs that I have written.
    The main question is can I copywrite just lyrics?  Only about 6
    songs have music that is studio (home) done, another six through
    a small radio/tape player with a condensor mike (legible but barely)
    and another seven with music but not on tape, then the rest has
    no music at all.  Does anyone know which of my material can be
    copywritten.  Please send info by reply or by electronic mail or
    by calling DTN: 297-3404.  Thanks in advance.
    
    
    Mr. Ed
     
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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718.1But you don't open the envelope!ROSBIF::PHILIPPASleazy EntrepeneurTue Oct 24 1989 16:046
    
    Well you could simply post your material to yourself and as long as
    there is a post mark on the envelope then you'll have some form
    of proof that you wrote it before anyone else.
    
    Flip
718.2MILKWY::SLABOUNTYLicking for luv in all the right places.Tue Oct 24 1989 16:279
    
    	There's info in the MUSIC conference, note 25.
    
    	Press KP7 (firmly enough to activate the contacts in the key-
    	board, but not too hard or you'll break something) to add to
    	your notebook.
    
    							GTI
    
718.3Not a big deal, but know the factsMARKER::BUCKLEYI pray the lord, your soul to keepTue Oct 24 1989 16:3618
    The "poor-man's copyright", as described in .1, is NOT a valid form
    of copyright, per order of a 1976 court ruling!
    
    There are two types of copyrights...a "C" and a "P" copyright.  The "P"
    copyright protects a particular recording of a work...ie -- that
    copyright which protects an album or concert from being taped without
    authorization.  The "C" copyright is the one which copyrights the work
    itself.  You can obtain copyright forms from the goverment, and it
    costs $10/piece.  Note:  If you have tons of songs, you may want to
    register them all under a single title, as in "The Works of Mr. Ed",
    and sub-list the works you wrote to fall under that one title. 
    
    Technically, a work is copyritten at the point of conception...and the
    legalities regarding who wrote what first, should it come down to that,
    remains on the sole fact that "does said person who you claimed
    violated your copyright to such-n-such-a-piece...did they have any
    access to that work to support plagarism?"  If not, forget it. 
    
718.4ASAHI::COOPERNo more flame burning in my heart...Wed Oct 25 1989 10:098
    Buck is right.  Poor mans Copyright isn't worth the paper it's written
    on.  What you do is go to the post office and get yourself a form
    SRnnnn (something or other)...
    
    I've got copies of the form if you need some, but they are available
    at the post office.
    
    jc
718.5publishing rights?BUSY::JMINVILLEIt's getting better all the timeFri Oct 27 1989 12:0020
    RE: the "P" and the "C" (in the little circles).  As wjb mentioned,
    the "P" protects the recorded version of the work and the "C" protects
    the work itself, but I'm not clear on something...
    
    	Does the "C" protect the published work??  In other words, do
    you have to submit the music/lyrics in a written form in order to
    qualify for the "C" type of copyright??
    
    	I spoke to a lawyer briefly about this a few months ago and
    he seemed to be saying that you can submit a cassette tape with
    a "P" on it (along with the form of course) and that protects you
    to some degree, but it doesn't mean that you get the publishing
    rights.  In order to get rights over the published work, you have
    to submit the "written" notation, lyrics, etc.
    
    	Buck can you shed some light on this??
    
    	What about all those funny-named publishing companies??
    
    	joe.
718.6CHEFS::DALLISONScreaming blues-o-maniaFri Oct 27 1989 12:103
    
    P = Publishing rights of material
    C = Copying rights of material.
718.7PNO::HEISERI'm bad...I'm internationalFri Oct 27 1989 13:372
    � = Publishing rights of material
    � = Copying rights of material.
718.8a few tidbitsBUSY::JMINVILLEIllegitimus Non Tatum CarborundemFri Nov 03 1989 11:4216
    	Quoted from "Circular 1" Copyright Basics, Copyright Office
    	Library of Congress, U.S. Government Printing Office 1989 --
    	241-429/80,045
    
    	Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created,
    	and a work is "created" when it is fixed in a copy or phono-
    	record for the first time.
    
    	There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration.
    
    	The form of Notice for visually perceptible copies is the letter
    	C in a circle, or the word "Copyright", or the abbreviation
    	"Copr."
    
    	The form of notice for Phonorecords of sound recordings is the
    	letter P in a circle.
718.9FWIWCSC32::G_HOUSENo. 24, the naughty bitsFri Nov 03 1989 13:145
    There have been some recent modifications to the copyright laws, last
    months edition of Electronic Musician magazine had a good article which
    discussed this.
    
    Greg
718.10old notes roolCAVLRY::BUCKThu Dec 26 1991 22:541
    Hey JW...check this $#!t out!
718.11MR4DEC::JWHITMANNo more TearsFri Dec 27 1991 12:243
    
    
    Thanks man!
718.12BUSY::SLABOUNTYDon't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448Tue Jan 30 1996 10:3315
    
    	From what I've seen of Garth, he's a really nice guy, and a very
    	good performer [studio is all the experience I have, but I've
    	heard that he puts on a great live show].
    
    	The only problem I have with him, or maybe 2 problems, is that
    	he was a fan of the "copyright tax" that was going to be levied
    	on blank cassettes to compensate recording artists for the boot-
    	leg recording that was going on [people copying CD's for friends].
    	AND, he is a big opponent of used CD sales and "cut-out" sales,
    	because a recording artist gets little or no compensation for
    	these sales.
    
    	[I'm going to cross-post this to the copyright note.]