gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
No, it doesn't remove your right. However, I note your pertinent observation here:
ibleedburgundy
The Anti-Lambo
Yeah, but then you might also get annoyed that they won't admit it. And then there is a touch of doubt that they actually stole it, and you'll never know for sure if your excitement was warranted in the first place - which kinda takes away from the excitement.
ibleedburgundy
The Anti-Lambo
Evidence is easy - email your songs to yourself or to someone you trust. You can't fake those dates that I'm aware of. I don't know how you prove when the other guy wrote it though.
Chili
Site Moderator
ibleedburgundy
The Anti-Lambo
I give up.
I don't see how what I said contradicts anything said in this thread. Yes, registration is better - that's your point, right? (notice I am guessing what your point is, because you declined to provide an explanation for no apparent reason).
G
Greg_L
Banned
I give up.
I don't blame you.
Chili
Site Moderator
Maybe you didn't read the whole thread. Registration being better wasn't my point. My point was, in the US, there is only one way to prove your ownership of copyrightable material.
Not that any of this matters, it's all academic. None of us are ever going to have our songs ripped off nor have need to prove ownership. So, whichever method you want to prove your copyright, or not, go for it. Sure, email is cheap, use that one. I'll continue to send my stuff to the copyright joint in DC. Austin is full of songwriters and some of them actually mill a dime off their stuff. There is that one tiny slim chance that someone might steal a song or part of one if/when I go to songwriters' meetings.
Ok, now I give up.
Steenamaroo
...
That's how it is.
Whether or not loose or flakey attempts at proof may be acceptable doesn't really matter.
That'll vary from case to case, country to country, circumstance to circumstance.
You can't flat out say you're protected unless you are...properly.
joey2000
New member
Bingo, that's what I think, but I can't say how definitive that is or isn't here.
That's the other rub. If someone steals your stuff, it's likely to be no small amount of time, cost and effort to beat them back. Unless this is your livelihood, you'd have to seriously question if it's worth it.
Which would mean registration would be better
but anyway......that isn't only way to prove ownership. Email is admissible evidence in court FYI. I'm not saying it would automatically overrule a copyright, but IMO it should. As mentioned earlier, "timing is everything" (or should be).And yet you copyright anyway
Yeah, as you pointed out, the odds are slim, but there's always that chance.As has already been discussed and pointed out, no, it's not.
If you mean acceptable in court, obviously it does.
Steenamaroo
...
I think I'm out too.
ibleedburgundy
The Anti-Lambo
I am pretty sure an mp3 or a wav file is a fixed form for the purposes of copyright law in the US. Being able to hold it in your hand is an out-dated way of looking at it.
https://www.teachingcopyright.org/handout/copyright-faq
https://books.google.com/books?id=G...onepage&q=copyright MP3 a fixed form?&f=false
gecko zzed
Grumpy Mod
Sure. An electronic file is a form that's ok for copyright law. But that wasn't Chili's (and my earlier) point, which was that you can't copyright an idea in your head . . . you have to render that idea into a form that constitutes evidence.
joey2000
New member
M
mattbrat1
New member
Just to clarify, you're talking about the US copyright office, yes? U.S. Copyright Office Thanks
joey2000
New member
Correct.....good point, obviously laws can vary elsewhere
M
MANnequin X
New member
I will copyright them when I release them after completion. Why not?
rob aylestone
Moderator
I think the point people were making is that in most countries, copyright exists from the moment it's in your head, but until it's outside your head you have no evidence. Once the evidence exists, so does the rights to exploit it. If you use twenty four tracks to complete the work, each one of them is protected. If you release them, all you are really doing is giving them exposure - they still belong to you if you never release them!
musicturtle
Member
I register. Maybe no one will want to buy my music ever again, but if a case did come about where I was going against a corporation, I would think that my registering would help my case a great deal. I think it comes down to whether you consider this a hobby or a viable profession.