copyright

[Daniël]

Is it legal to use a midi from an existing track or voice-sample from a movie?

 

Cause when you use a midi, it's a bunch of notes (aka melody), but not a track your stealing.

Off course, using a midi is lame and wrong but is it legal/illegal by copyright law?

[Reznik]

both illegal i think.

using voice samples from movies, im sure, it is illegal.

 

and melodies are protected by copyright, for hundred years after the artists death. (i think)

[Cybernetika]

Is it legal to use a midi from an existing track or voice-sample from a movie?

 

Cause when you use a midi, it's a bunch of notes (aka melody), but not a track your stealing.

Off course, using a midi is lame and wrong but is it legal/illegal by copyright law?

611070[/snapback]

Using samples is per definition illegal. It's copyrighted material you are using. But as long as you are not commercially successful with it, no one will care about it.

 

Same goes for ripping off a melody. But if you slightly change it you can still say it's your own melody and similarity is not intended.

[Daniël]

it's tricky, cause people use simular musical sequences all the time in certain genres. It probably allready happened several times people come up with almost identical melodies accidentally.

[dvnt]

I was under the impression that if you played it yourself, rather than just ripping it it was legal as it was your interpretation of it. I could be wrong thou.

[Reznik]

nah, the notes as melody are protected

[Jikkenteki]

Note that there are two different kinds of copyrights....

 

The first covers the sound recording, so anything you take or sample directly from the recording is in breach of this copyright.

 

The second is for the actual musical composition, so if even if you play the notes yourself on a different synth, you are still in breach of this copyright.

[Reznik]

Off course, using a midi is lame and wrong but is it legal/illegal by copyright law?

611070[/snapback]

it isnt lame at all, some melodys from movie soundtracks are so stunning, and only cause somebody else played that, why not work with it?

[Daniël]

it isnt lame at all, some melodys from movie soundtracks are so stunning, and only cause somebody else played that, why not work with it?

611631[/snapback]

It's ok if you refer to it in your songtitle and contact the original artist. Otherwise, it's lame.

It's also lame cause it's easy, you can download midi's everywhere on the internet.

 

Just doesn't feel right to use someone else's work, no? Even if it's stunning, a fine piece of music should be left untouched, most of the time i find the original version best.

 

There was this psytrance CD which raped some classical masterpieces.

 

the horror.... the horror... mozart-psy.

[Reznik]

It's ok if you refer to it in your songtitle and contact the original artist.  Otherwise, it's lame.

611638[/snapback]

sure dude, i wasnt talking about stealing it.

[dvnt]

Note that there are two different kinds of copyrights....

 

The first covers the sound recording, so anything you take or sample directly from the recording is in breach of this copyright.

 

The second is for the actual musical composition, so if even if you play the notes yourself on a different synth, you are still in breach of this copyright.

611581[/snapback]

are both as standard or do u have to apply for both.

 

I mean as I understand it, you hold copyright as soon as you finish painting something, does this default copyright cover both of the above?

[Jikkenteki]

are both as standard or do u have to apply for both.

 

I mean as I understand it, you hold copyright as soon as you finish painting something, does this default copyright cover both of the above?

612695[/snapback]

Technically you own both at the moment of creation, but registering them in your home country is a good idea. In the US if I remember correctly when you register your sound recording the composition part is automatically registered as well.

[dvnt]

Technically you own both at the moment of creation, but registering them in your home country is a good idea. In the US if I remember correctly when you register your sound recording the composition part is automatically registered as well.

612811[/snapback]

are the rules the same for audio as for video? I have made a few short films that have recieved good reviews and been shown at a few film festivals etc... I automatically hold all rights to them. Provided I produced everything or recieved permission for audio or whatever. Made my own to avioid that.

 

What benefits does one gain from registering them and what does this typically cost?

[Jikkenteki]

are the rules the same for audio as for video? I have made a few short films that have recieved good reviews and been shown at a few film festivals etc... I automatically hold all rights to them. Provided I produced everything or recieved permission for audio or whatever. Made my own to avioid that.

 

What benefits does one gain from registering them and what does this typically cost?

612863[/snapback]

I can't speak for other countries but I think due to international copyright treaties the idea is generally the same in most places, but anyways in the US registering your copyright means that the government actually has a copy on record and is THE best proof of copyright ownership in the case of legal action. People often mention the mailing a copy to yourself and not opening it thing, but I've heard of some cases where the court hasn't recognized sure measures as incontrovertable PROOF. When you register it, the government keeps track of when it arrived and all that information so its not your word against their's, but the government's word against their's. If a case comes up with one person having the work registered and the other not, the registered person will pretty much always win barring some serious evidence to the contrary.

 

I can't remember the exact costs off hand, but you can save money by registering a full album as one complete "work" rather than the individual songs. Its not terribly expensive or difficult. Go to any large library and get the form, fill it out, mail it in with your payment and a copy of the work, finished.