If so how many years is it? How, why where and when?
2007-10-16 22:15:28 · 7 answers · asked by acendedindividual 3 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Other - Music
So technically songs over 50-75 years old should be free to download then?
2007-10-16 22:34:57 · update #1
What about 'covering' songs out of copyright? Is that allowed?
2007-10-16 22:50:06 · update #2
The current copyright law is based on the death date of the composer. I think you are actually looking for public domain compositions. this is complicated by the fact that in the USA, older works were protected based on publication dates. The Sonny Bono law extended many of these rights, so you need to look at pre-1925 registrations. There are a lot of exceptions, and some newer works could be public domain for a variety of reasons.
But you are talking downloading a recording and that that is a completely different issue!!!!! It does not matter if the music is public domain when the RECORDING is not. The RIAA (recording industry) protects its recordings from download quite aggressively. A download of Beethoven will get you a $5000 fine just as quick as Beastie Boys.
A song does not have to be in public domain to be covered. Once it is recorded, anyone can make a cover by simply making mechanical rights payments for distributed copies to the copyright office. The copyright office establishes the royalty rate, and it is adjusted periodically. many composers participate with Harry Fox Agency and you can pay mechanic rights for covers there as well.
2007-10-20 06:45:04 · answer #1 · answered by lare 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does and it's different in the UK and the US. People like Sir Paul McCartney and other are fighting to make copyright lifetime rather than just 50 or 75 years. It gets more complicated with classical music as the copyright seems to lurch from performance to performance so rather than paying Tchaikovsky for the 1812 Overture you pay Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.
2007-10-16 22:27:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
music stays in copyright for 70 years after the composers death, but then the composers family and/or publisher are allowed to renew the copyright indefinitely if they want to
when it comes to downloading recordings, that version belongs to the recording company (they will have already paid any fee that was due in order to use the music) so they can charge what they like for as long as they like.
2007-10-16 22:41:31 · answer #3 · answered by toscamo 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes after 70 years of the death of the composer.
2007-10-16 22:22:47 · answer #4 · answered by punapetteri 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the UK, it's 70 years after the death of the composer, unless, in excepetional circumstances, this term is extended by the deceased composer's estate.
2007-10-17 01:20:13 · answer #5 · answered by del_icious_manager 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah and patents have a sell by date
2007-10-16 22:18:45 · answer #6 · answered by criminal convictions 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes, it should, but not sure when or how many years - it used to be like three or four years, but not sure what it is now.
2007-10-16 22:19:40 · answer #7 · answered by elizabet 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋