How Far Should Copyright Go?

[Guldenat]

Thank you, Guldenat. I was just about to make this point. That being, there is no law being broken (likewise, no sin being made) even when a musical artists decides to perform a cover song at a concert the audience needs to pay to see.

Now, here’s a question for you, Guldenat (being that you’re a musician). The group Pearl Jam used to (and still may) make all their live shows available on CD. If they were to perform a cover song at a concert, would they then have to first receive permission from the artist or their label before making that specific show available on CD? (Not interested in whether this is sinful, only interested in the legality.) Thanks!

I am under the impression that if you cover a song and record it, you must pay a royalty fee for everytime your cover of the song sells a copy. This goes for CD sales and digital sales over the internet. I tend to think that when Pearl Jam sells their live albums and their is a cover of a song that is not public domain, they probably give a little kick back to the publisher who owns the rights to the song.

 

[steveandersen]

Let’s say someone is playing Chopsticks or Heart and Soul with a friend on a piano for fun and neither one owns the sheet music. Would that be a violation of copyright? If so, then in would seem that even whistleing a tune would be illegal, and that seems a bit too much. I know copyright exists to protect the author’s rights and all but how strictly should one follow it? Would it be a sin not to follow it? Don’t mean to be scrupulous, I just really want to know if it’s ok or not.

Copyright laws generally allow for “fair use” of the material

whistling copyrighted material is not illegal or a sin.

(Oh great now I’ve got Heart & Soul going through my brain… darn that Hoagy Carmichael!)

 

[Texas_Roofer]

Not true at all.
§106. Exclusive rights in copyrighted works Subject to certain exceptions the owner of copyright So, as you can see the issue really is whether it is put into a copy, i.e., do you record your whistling or other performance or whether it is performed Publicly which meansSo singing in public to a substantial number of folks that are not family or acquaintances can be infringement even if free.

***THIS IS ONLY COMMENTARY AND IS NOT MEANT AS LEGAL ADVICE NOR DOES THE READER FORM AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUTHOR

***No copyright is claimed in this post.

The Founding Fathers disagreed. The said that the purpose was:

United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8

And your distinction is?
Maybe the puff in your hair was Hlafdige comment?(it flew right over didn’t it)
Maybe you could cite some successful cases in which the dollar value was proven zero yet copyright was used to …….(what)…….?
Maybe the founding fathers not writting “campfire” or “scout troop” left to large a jump?

 

[CuriousInIL]

And your distinction is?
Maybe the puff in your hair was Hlafdige comment?(it flew right over didn’t it)
Maybe you could cite some successful cases in which the dollar value was proven zero yet copyright was used to …….(what)…….?
Maybe the founding fathers not writting “campfire” or “scout troop” left to large a jump?

Huh? Perhaps if you rephrased your points or put them in Latin?

 

[S_V7]

S_V7, it’s nice to see you back. Hope your move went well.

IMO, it’s perfectly fine to remember a song and sing, whistle or play it. You do not deprive anyone of his rights or his income by doing so. And I’ll bet (without looking it up, so I don’t know for sure), that *Heart and Soul *and *Chopsticks *are both in the public domain. I don’t think anyone learns those by reading. They are taught by one person to another as part of the larger culture.

Betsy

Our move went well thanks to God

Like I said, I really don’t think it’s wrong (or seriously wrong) to play those songs. As long as its done reasonably of course.