Michael O'Regan
New member
Is there a website with a list of songs which are no longer in copyright?
M
Mindset
Well-known member
That would be dangerous lol. There isn't much if any sound recording copyrights that are expired since sound recordings haven't been around for too long. Copyrights average 150 years after the owners death.
This was pulled from WIKI:
Very few sound recordings are in the public domain in the United States. Sound recordings fixed in a tangible form before February 15, 1972, were generally covered by common law or in some cases by anti-piracy statutes enacted in certain states, not by federal copyright law, and the anti-piracy statutes typically have no duration limit. The 1976 Copyright Act, effective 1978, provides federal copyright for unpublished and published sound recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972. Recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are still covered, to varying degrees, by common law or state statutes.[8] Any rights or remedies under state law for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are not annulled or limited by the 1976 Copyright Act until February 15, 2067.[12] On that date, all sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, will go into the public domain in the United States.
For sound recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972, the earliest year that any will go out of copyright and into the public domain in the U.S. will be 2043,[13] and not in any substantial number until 2048.[14] Sound recordings published on or after January 1, 1978, and before March 1, 1989, which did not carry a proper copyright notice on the recording or its cover entered the public domain on publication, although the owners of the copyrights had up to five years to remedy this omission and reclaim the copyright
This was pulled from WIKI:
Very few sound recordings are in the public domain in the United States. Sound recordings fixed in a tangible form before February 15, 1972, were generally covered by common law or in some cases by anti-piracy statutes enacted in certain states, not by federal copyright law, and the anti-piracy statutes typically have no duration limit. The 1976 Copyright Act, effective 1978, provides federal copyright for unpublished and published sound recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972. Recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are still covered, to varying degrees, by common law or state statutes.[8] Any rights or remedies under state law for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are not annulled or limited by the 1976 Copyright Act until February 15, 2067.[12] On that date, all sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, will go into the public domain in the United States.
For sound recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972, the earliest year that any will go out of copyright and into the public domain in the U.S. will be 2043,[13] and not in any substantial number until 2048.[14] Sound recordings published on or after January 1, 1978, and before March 1, 1989, which did not carry a proper copyright notice on the recording or its cover entered the public domain on publication, although the owners of the copyrights had up to five years to remedy this omission and reclaim the copyright
Chili
Site Moderator
Heya, a quick google search shows this at the top of the list.
http://www.pdinfo.com/list.php
Hey Mindset, I believe that's 70 yrs after a person dies.
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf page 5.
And material written but never published or registered prior to 1978(?) had a statutory limit of 25 yrs regardless of the author's death.
http://www.copyright.gov/pr/pdomain.html
But this is US copyright stuff and it might be different in other countries. I believe the OP is from England.....
peace.
http://www.pdinfo.com/list.php
Hey Mindset, I believe that's 70 yrs after a person dies.
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf page 5.
And material written but never published or registered prior to 1978(?) had a statutory limit of 25 yrs regardless of the author's death.
http://www.copyright.gov/pr/pdomain.html
But this is US copyright stuff and it might be different in other countries. I believe the OP is from England.....
peace.
D
doulos24
New member
Works published in the United States with a copyright date of 1922 or earlier are in the public domain in the United States.
Copyright protection outside the USA is determined by the laws of the country where you wish to use a work. Copyright protection may be 95 years from publication date, 50 to 70 years after the death of the last surviving author, or other criteria depending on where the work was first published and how the work is to be used.
Copyright protection outside the USA is determined by the laws of the country where you wish to use a work. Copyright protection may be 95 years from publication date, 50 to 70 years after the death of the last surviving author, or other criteria depending on where the work was first published and how the work is to be used.
Michael O'Regan
New member
I was mainly concerned with old folk songs such as Erie Canal, This world is Not My Home., etc.
Some of these are of unknown author - how does copyright work in this case?
Some of these are of unknown author - how does copyright work in this case?