Copyrighting Music + Lyrics

marka87uk

How can I copyright music/lyrics? Do you have to do something at the Post Office, I can't remember!?

Quincy_3

Well I think (please dont quote me) you can post a copy of them to yourself but dont open the letter and the post mark can verify the lyrics are yours by , A Sealed Envelope and Date Stamp and if any problems arise open infront of witnesses, Lawyer etc etc.

Jon_C

Just to clarify, by doing this you are only safeguarding against future infringements of the copyright which comes into existence at the moment you create your composition.

In other words, you don't have to *do* anything to copyright something. All you are doing is making sure you can sue someone else if your intellectual property is reused without permission.

The advice offered in the first reply strikes me as the most straightforward unless you want to spend a lot of money on solicitors from the outset.

sra

If you want to make something available and just define what people can do with it then there's Creative Commons.

But that's more about defining what people are allowed to do with your work rather than protecting it and proving you are the creator

Darksun

Works created by you are automatically copyrighted. However, as for the advice in the first post, I've heard it's not actually legally admissable proof in court. Your best bet would be to register your work with the UK Copyright Service, http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/

Lord_Chris

im not sure that music is automatically copyrighted... i know that websites and web content are automatically copyrighted, but i dont *think* that other materials are.

If you really are bothered about copyrighting your material, it costs £35 for 5 years/ £60 for 10 years via UK copyright service (see website above) althought to be honest, and please dont be offended, chances of anyone breaching copyright are unlikely unless your music is really worth money, and to actually catch someone and prosecute is even more unlikely - just use a creative commons license, its free and will do almost the same things as an actual copyright.

Darksun

Lord_Chris wrote:

im not sure that music is automatically copyrighted... i know that websites and web content are automatically copyrighted, but i dont *think* that other materials are.

Nope, any material protected by copyright is copyrighted when you create it. Trademarks and patents need to be registered for them to be protected, but copyright doesn't.

If you really are bothered about copyrighting your material, it costs £35 for 5 years/ £60 for 10 years via UK copyright service (see website above) althought to be honest, and please dont be offended, chances of anyone breaching copyright are unlikely unless your music is really worth money, and to actually catch someone and prosecute is even more unlikely - just use a creative commons license, its free and will do almost the same things as an actual copyright.

A CC License is just the copyright owner giving the public certain rights to the materials. It might not be what the OP wants, since even the most stringent CC license gives end users the right to copy and share the material freely.

Lord_Chris

Darksun wrote:

A CC License is just the copyright owner giving the public certain rights to the materials. It might not be what the OP wants, since even the most stringent CC license gives end users the right to copy and share the material freely.

The material is unlikely to be of any real value (again, no offense intended) at least a CC license means people arent allowed to edit it, or more importantly, distribute it commercially.

Even with copyrighting you cant stop people sharing your music over the internet anyway, so why bother trying.

Darksun

Lord_Chris wrote:

Even with copyrighting you cant stop people sharing your music over the internet anyway, so why bother trying.

Well, you have legal recourse against people who do. Granted in practical terms it's pretty hard to stop, but that doesn't mean copyright has no value.

Quincy_3

May help. Click link to find out more


http://www.pdinfo.com/copyrt.htm