Copyright

I have heard SO many things about copyrighting a piece of music. I was first told you have to do it with registered mail unless you want to pay big money. Then I heard that you just need a copy of it and once your piece is on paper or CD it is under copyright. Then someone said the registered mail does not work and that I could get all my pieces copyrighted at one time with the US government for $20-25.

So...do I need to worry about doing any of this? I do want my work protected so I am generally concerned.

If you live in the U.S. you don't have to do a thing to have your music protected by basic copyright law... in theory. Once your work comes into existence it's supposed to be protected. But to prove that you own something in a court of law it gets more difficult. People used to mail themselves copies of their compositions, but that doesn't really fly in court. But, unless you are some type of celebrity, music collaborator, or owner of your own music business that involves composition, I see little need to register your works with the U.S. Copyright Office. DO register your works with a performance rights organization (ASCAP or BMI), but registering with the U.S. Copyright Office is a waste of time and money for most people.

Take what I say with a grain of salt since I'm no lawyer, though I will add that the chances of someone consciously stealing your music and trying to make a profit from it or using it in a way you disapprove of are slim to non-existent. Just write your music and don't worry about it unless you start making substantial money from what you're doing. Then consult a lawyer if you still care.

I don't know if you can do it in the US but in the UK, we were told that once you've written your work, print it off or burn it to a disc and send it in the post to yourself but send it as "Recorded Delivery". This means that you have to sign for it to confirm you've recieved it and that the time and date is logged by the Postman. Then, what you do is never, ever open it unless you're taken to court or something.

If you are taken to court, you can say "This is my music, it was sent to me on (insert date) and I recieved it on (Insert date and time). As you can see, it has never been opened, this means that the work in there was written before ____ ripped my music off."

The guy above said it doesn't work well in Court but I dunno, I personally always thought it would be quite effective.

Daryl

When I'm ready to self-publish my works (still in the planning stages), I intend to take the U.S. Government up on their offer and have everything copyrighted at once, replete with two copies of each published work for the Library of Congress (I believe that's a requirement). I think it's a good way to get everything squared away, as well as ensuring that copies are preserved for posterity (yeah, I'm just egotistical enough to care about that, lest we forget that state libraries are where most long-lost masterworks have been rediscovered recently).

I don't know if you can do it in the US but in the UK, we were told that once you've written your work, print it off or burn it to a disc and send it in the post to yourself but send it as "Recorded Delivery". This means that you have to sign for it to confirm you've recieved it and that the time and date is logged by the Postman. Then, what you do is never, ever open it unless you're taken to court or something.

If you are taken to court, you can say "This is my music, it was sent to me on (insert date) and I recieved it on (Insert date and time). As you can see, it has never been opened, this means that the work in there was written before ____ ripped my music off."

The guy above said it doesn't work well in Court but I dunno, I personally always thought it would be quite effective.

Daryl

No, the poor man's copyright doesn't really hold up, at least from my reading about the US.

Think of it this way, someone sends you a draft copy, you do the poor man's thing, they don't, then you build on that work. They complete their work after you build on theirs. Who gets the rights?

The thing is, the copyright is set as soon as it's "published." This is becoming more and more fluid, and could possibly include online "publishing" like what I do on my site. I dunno. I'm not a pro; if someone rips off my idea and makes a lot of money, they polished some turds beyond what I could do...

Here is the thing. I do own a music business. It is small, but I want everything done properly. Also, there is going to be over 2-3 performs of this in the next month or around Tennessee. Also, the full production is happening next year! I am a member of A.S.C.A.P.!! Thanks for reminding me!