Just one more little question about copyrights

Tucci

New member
If I register with ASCAP or BMI do I still have to send my songs in for a copyright or...since I have registered the songs with ASCAP or BMI is that proof enough of my ownership should anyone try to steal my songs? I know that by law your work is copyrighted as soon as it is recorded in some way shape or form. The reason you send it in for a copyright certificate is simply to have proof of your ownership correct?

Would registering the song with ASCAP or BMI be sufficient proof?

Tucci
 
ASCAP/BMI and the like look after your songs in regard to how many times they are performed or played....otherwise you would get no royalities from some sort of honor system....and ASCAP/BMI assume it's you that holds the copyright...

As always, if someone hears your song somewhere, and they look it up in the Library of Congress files, and see it has no copyright, then all they have to do is get one for themselves.....then you could go to court and spend lots of money on lawyers and still probably lose, because you don't have a copyright....the other person does....

It's really very simple...copyright the stuff you want to keep your rights to....if you wanna gamble, fine....but no whining allowed later.....gibs
 
Tucci:
A copywrite is a must... Last I remember it was $30 to register up to 10 songs... and yes that is your proof that you are the sole owner of that song. Keep in mind that you may very well have a chart topping song...$$$ to you. lol
DL.
 
Tucci,

Well here's an opinion with a little different slant. I don't worry too much anymore about someone stealing my songs. As a matter of fact I would feel it was a form of my validation as a songwriter,if I heard some play my song live somewhere. It would be great and I certainly wouldn't come down on them that is until they made a shitload of money with my song and then I'd go down to my safety deposite box where I keep the registered letter with the CD of my tunes in it and I'd start looking for a hot shot lawyer who was willing to go for it. Even If I lost I'd get a hell of a lot of publicity, at least 15 minutes, and I'd ride that wave as far as it would take me.

Do you remember the lawsuit about "Mr. Bill" from Saturday Night Live. I won't go into it all but a kid who had no copyright to the material proved to a court's satisfaction that he was in fact the creator of "Mr. Bill".

If you've got the bucks to copyright,what the hell. I think I'd rather spend the money on more gear than give it to the copyright office.

Rusty K
 
I have a question based on DLockwood statement: "Last I remember it was $30 to register up to 10 songs... and yes that is your proof that you are the sole owner of that song."

If I submit 10 songs for copyright on 1 tape, am I committed to releasing these all on the same album. I have a lot of songs that I want to get copyrighted and don't want to commit them to one album. Because of the different styles of music, I am working on a couple of albums.

I like the idea of being able to get 10 for the price of one, but if I have to commit them together, I would have to do each sond seperately.

Any help to this question would be greatly appreciated.

Joe
 
Howdy JC:
I'm really not sure how the copyright laws apply when you combine a collection of songs and put them on one copyright... It only makes sense that the laws would be the same. Your collection of songs copywritten under one title still gives you sole ownership of every song on that album. Sorry I couldn't be much more help but I'm sure you could find the answers from some sort of goverm't website. I think even ASCAP has a website that's really helpful about clearing up copyright questions. Good luck man.
DL.
 
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