Should I Pay To Officially Copyright My Song?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2022
- Disc Makers CEO Tony van Veen frequently gets asked some version of this question: “Should I go through the hassle and expense of officially copyrighting my song?”
This week’s Indie Music Minute answers that question, plus more:
-When is my work protected?
-Do I get more protection if my song is officially copyrighted?
-What does it cost to officially copyright my song?
-What’s the easiest way to do this?
Check it out and learn what you need to know (and do) to be protected.
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Excellent information for songwriters. I’ll be sharing this. Thank you!
I really appreciate how simple and to the point you explain this topic!! two thumbs up thanks so much!!
We used what was called a “Poor Man’s Copyright” way back.
Seal a copy of the song in an envelope and mail it to yourself using the postmark as an indicator of date of copyright.
Obviously that’s gone out of the window…
wow...very smart :O!
Very helpful...Thank you!
So, you don't need to copyright, but you do need to copyright ... 😅
Really informative: will there be a follow-up for Global copyright / maybe EU / UK ?
Thank you thank you
Thanks, Tony, for this video. What about if you're a European or British artist like me? Can we use the US copyright service as well or do you know of an alternative across the pond? Thanks!
avoid the "he said she said" ownership argument in court - register and copyright! (Read The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene)...
Is it necessary to register each and every song independently, or would it be more cost effective to register a group of songs as an album? Would this offer the same individual protection per song as independently registering each one, yet at a significant cost savings?
A group. They changed the max to 10 songs at a time. A few years ago, I registered like 56 songs for one $55 fee.
@@tawilliamson83 Thanks! It's been many years since I registered copyrights for songs, but that's how I did it back then, and was not sure if I really covered each song by doing that.
@@Steelplayer59 Yes, they changed that not too long ago. Within the last two years for sure. I waited too long to copyright my next batch of songs, so now I can only do 10 at a time. And I have like 30. So, albums will be 10 songs now.
@@tawilliamson83dang they changed it to a max of 10 only now? Penny pinchers! 🤷
When the government tells you it's copyrighted the moment you finish it, and then tells you can't bring it into court without paying them first to register it, that's when you know you have a less than honest government.
what do you do if you're in the UK? Thanks
💪
Very helpful. The government site is a nightmare to navigate through. Thank you from the bottom of my Les Paul.
Would like to see a video on what order... If I have 11 songs, 10 original and 1 cover, I believe I need a copyright for the 10, a mechanical license for the cover, and also need mastering for the whole bunch. So Cosynd, EasySong, SoundLab, which comes first?
Order doesn't really matter, but you'll want to have it copyrighted before it's commercially released. Also, you'll want to get an SR copyright on all 11, plus the composition for the 10 originals. And SoundLab can happen at time of manufacturing.
TL/DR registering your copyright is voluntary. Registering your copyright is REQUIRED to enforce legal action if someone steals your song, or uses your song in any way without your permission.
A couple of scenarios:
1) Someone hears your song and records it without your permission and releases it to the market for consumption
2) Someone hears your song, takes it and claims that THEY wrote the song, NOT you.
3) Everybody plays nice and by the rules and never steals from others, and always gives others fair treatment and compensation
Courses of action for each scenario
Scenarios 1 & 2
-->You need to PROVE in a court of law that you wrote the song first and that you own the copyright. Having the copyright already registered is the best course of action. If you didn't register the copyright, now you're playing catch up and you have to register the copyright with the government. Worst case scenario, the other party nefariously registered the work as their own work. Now you got a huge legal battle.
Scenario 3
--> If this were the case, the idea of copyrights wouldn't even be necessary.
Conclusion:
Unless if you are confident that no one will ever use your work without your permission, or claim your work as their own, then REGISTER YOUR COPYRIGHT.
Paying $85 to register groups of 10 songs at a time is CHEAP compared to the time, money, headaches, and heartaches a long drawn out legal battle.
Guys sure remember the cartoon logo showing a bag with a $ on it,right?overused in the 60s-70s-80s mosty.
Guess what now!that logo wasn't"copyrighted" so yes as he mentioned in the video,,,,,no need?!
Well Gene Simmons of the band Kiss which we all know or heard of,,,decided to verify if it was copyrighted and it wasn't!
He copyrighted and now he is cashing in anything that overused logo is now used!
Gene was nice enough though (rich enough already,,)to give a good compensation to its creator that wasn't aware enough to copyright it in the first place!
F*****G COPYRIGHT ANYTHING YOU CREATE ALWAYS!!!!
Excellent vid. The should you shouldn't you debate is an ongoing one with songwriters. I think the problem with writers is the cost. $45 per song adds up if you have written say 20 songs.
You can do a collection for (I think) $85.
@@tonyvv A collection option might be worth looking into. I'm not a prolific writer so I'm not churning out songs at a high rate. So it would take me forever to put a collection together.
Just got my copyright certificate. It's $85 to copyright 10 works as a collection.
What if you don't live in the US? Would a US court recognise the copyright registered in say Europe?
Me from the UK, yes this video was very helpful. What about performing cover songs other Artists copyrighted songs on TH-cam
TH-cam is a different animal. Since it's video you technically need a sync license to put a cover song up on the platform. However, no one really does that. Instead, TH-cam's Content ID tool will recognize most cover song content and allow the rightsholder to monetize that content. So, effectively, go ahead and post. While you're technically breaking the rules, for practical purposes the odds of any copyright claims are very low.
@@tonyvv Also should I copyright individual songs if a EP, Album or are Ep's and Album one copyright registration
@@glenfordgreen3277 You can copyright a collection of works, which can be an album or an EP. I believe it could even be works on an EP and on an album TOGETHER, so long as the compositions were created in the same year. You need to do a bit of research on the US Copyright Office site.
Even if a song is technically regarded as copyrighted as soon as it is physically written, recorded, etc.; could someone such as a licensed notary public be used as an official witness to the date it was created by the creator should there be a dispute? Would not that hold up in court? If it would indeed hold up in court; why would there be a need to go through the process and expense of registering the song with the Library of Congress? Thanx.
You can use a notary, but any proof will do. The problem is that you need to be officially registered with the Library of Congress in order to file suit according to the new law. However, if you are going to pay a notary, you might as well just register your copyrights the right way.
@@tonyvv In other words, writers all over the world need to pay homage to American law and justice (and paying involves more than homage). The sense of justice that large corporations are showing toward American writers and actors doesn't inspire great confidence. And can an American court deal with an offender outside the U.S?
@@iancoulls Duh, there are copyright laws protecting creators in just about every country, and you know that. As an American disc manufacturer the vast majority of our clients are in the US, so my videos address their specific situations.
A notary will only work if it's a collaboration (ie; more than one author)
Although an artist and publisher usually own the songwriter's copyright ( Ⓒ ) for a song, do you also have to register the copyright of the sound recording ( ℗ ) of a _cover version_ of the song? Can Cosynd do that if so?
Yes