Copyright ( what to do )

[Facemask93]

I koow this has been spoken about before , but i've just written my first song and can't find the last topic on this subject , thanks

Facemask93

[StevieM]

If you put 'copyright' in the search that'll bring most of them up.
But just a quick rundown.
You're not really covered if you only send it to yourself in a sealed envelope, and only minimum if it's lodged with a bank/solicitor etc.
Try to keep all rough drafts, even the beer mat you wrote the first words on .

Have a look at this---http://www.songwriters-guild.co.uk/    there's an annual fee of about £50, but all copyright is free and there's loads of other info and help you can get.

Try these----http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy.htm

http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p01_uk_copyright_law

Google  'Uk ( or British),copyright' as you're in the UK, USA laws are different. Be a bit careful with some of the sites though, they can charge an arm and a leg for bugger all sometimes.
The British Patent  office has got quite a bit on it too.

I don't know why 2 of them didn't come up as hyper links??? But they're there,just type them in.

[Facemask93]

Thank's stevieM , do you think most people  that do original's on this site do copyright , or am i just being over the top

Facemask93

[Bluesberry]

This is a good question facemask.  I have written 9 songs now so far since getting my micro and joining this site, and I have not done anything yet, I am curious also.  The way I feel is that I am just starting out with this songwriting thing and am not sure that anybody would want to steal my songs anyway (my songs end up slightly quirky I find, not really mainstream stuff), but maybe I am wrong.  The way I understand it is that if you can prove that you wrote it at a certain time, like posting it on here being that proof, but that is probably weak evidence.  I like the look of that site linked above.  What do the real songwriters on here do?

[Facemask93]

Thank's BB this is what it say's about posting your own work to yourself

We can find no reference that this has ever been used successfully to prove a claim .
If you send the work to yourself via the postal service (including recorded/tracked and signed for services) or via a courier (sometimes called 'poor man's copyright'), or use any system which requires you to store the work yourself, there is no verifiable evidence to say that the contents have not been swapped.

It is such a simple matter to pre-send envelopes, and place the actual materials inside at a later date that we believe it is next to worthless. The US Copyright Office also makes the following observation: (http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html).

"The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a 'poor man's copyright.' There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration."

[StevieM]

I would put 'quotes' in here, but still not worked out how to do it properly

FM93----- Don't know about others on here, but nope, you're not being "over the top", 'cos who knows, miracles can happen( still waiting for mine )

BB----Quirky and not worth nicking?? You heard some of the stuff that gets out there??? Yours are a damn sight better than most!!
Yep, very weak evedence.Shi , err, shed loads, of money will win everytime. Not so long ago Jon Bon Jovi was being sued for copyright breach.
And what's a " real songwriter"?? If you mean someone who's been played on the radio and stuff and made the aforementioned piles, they're just the ones that got the breaks !!
Where it starts getting a little bit tricky is if there's two or more co-writers, but there's a co-writing collaboration agreement that sets out who gets what. If you want to see one I'll e mail it to you, it doesn't come out well as an attachment. My e mail's on my profile.

[Facemask93]

Thank's mate , i'll email you ( no i can't do quotes either )

[SteveB]

ALL - First of all, the quotes are usually above the number 2 on a qwerty keyboard.

The Copyright thing. Well let's not get all dramatic too quickly. As I've wrote elsewhere, if 'The Man' can miss all the gems being generated on here, and 'TheMan's' into everything, then probably all our masterpieces are safe.

Simple. Once you have written something, then the copyright is yours. If you write it with someone else, then the copyright is shared.

Write down the lyrics, once in your own handwriting, and then type them out (For legibility), sign and date the papers.  Also make a recording, it's probably possibly for us all to generate a CD of the work. Get a padded envelope and make sure you put the name of the work on the envelope (on the back somewhere), put the items inside, seal the envelope, mark the seal with large Xs with a marker pen, send the envelope to yourself and DON'T open it when it arrives. That really is all you need to do. If you ever get taken to the British House of Lords or the United States Supreme Court or any other ultimate legislative assembly (presumably including the throne of God), then this is as adequate a copyright as anything else - and even any shyster Lawyer will know this also.

[Migs]

and even any shyster Lawyer will know this also.

We aren't all shysters.

The important thing in copyright is what country you are in and whether that country is a signatory to the Berne Convention.  Then there is also the matter of whether your country implemented all of it.  I know the UK didn't implement huge chunks for over a century.  USA sigend the Buenos Airs Convention initially but has more recently signed up to Berne.

The upshot ... check what you need to do locally.

In Australia, copyright protection is automatic.  You don't need to post anything to yourself, you don't need to publilsh the work, you don't need to register anything and you don't have to put the little (c) anywhere.  Because of the conventions I mentioned, most other countries recognise our copyright.  Taiwan doesn't recognise our copyright.

Here is some info which has other links to more info:  http://www.copyright.org.au/g030.pdf

[galestermusic]

I was just reading about this the other day. I can't remember the website but they said to do 4 things... for U.S.

1. Save all you drafts from the first one you wrote through all the changes. (napkins..everything)
2. Put your works on a CD
(the above two will be used to perform the poor man's copyright i.e. put the above in an envelope sealed and tape proofed with you mark on the tape and mail it to yourself)
3. If you have a computer, imediately make a file. Here you shuold store all your work in this file. You can scan your drafts and put them in here and even put the raw data files here. You also need to mark read only of this file's properties so that it can not be altered after created, in the case you was hacked.
4. You will need to go to the US Copywrite web page and get the forms. One of the hints they gave on this site is, wait until you have a complete almbum or cd and submit that for the $45 instead of a single song for $45.

This is a good question...Ozzy and Preist both have had to defend themselves over this and I think Mariah Carey??

Later all!

Greg