Are Album Names copyrighted?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Giganova
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Giganova

Giganova

gimmi your mic!
I am about to finish my first demo and have a question:

1) Are the names of albums protected by any law? Even if there's an existing album with a name I'd like to chose, will I be in legal problems?

2) Is there a data base (www) where I could look up which artist and album names are already used?

Thanxxxx guys!
 
The Library of congress has a database for trademarks that you can access, but Im not sure to as Album names. Yes you can get in trouble legally if a name is trademarked.

Try digging around here for help.

http://www.copyright.gov/


Search for copyright records



SoMm
 
"titles of songs and albums arent protected...."


thats good to know......i think im gonna go with
"meet the Beatles"
for my album title
 
You can trademark an album title, or just about any phrase. Michael Buffer, the "let's get ready to rumble" boxing announcer guy has a trademark on that phrase. If you use it in a commercial fashion, you can be sued for infringing on his trademark.
 
trademark/copyright/etc has only rudimentary basis on actual government paperwork. the real monetary/etc things are decided in court. parody tends to be unlitigable, but someone with the same (or even a very similar) name/appearance/etc can get hurt badly in courts, because the point of the judicial system is to apply the spirit of the law rather than the letter. hence, if you are not obviously hurting someone else's commerce, you are probably ok. if you are, you're out of luck. that's the most practical way to look at it IMNSHO.
 
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