New Forum Category? Copyright Issues

ukecantdothat

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Considering the recent spate of threads in Uke Talk concerning various copyright issues dealing with covers posted on YT, homegrown tabs, and lyric postings, etc., perhaps a new forum board would be indicated. It would also be nice to have someone, preferably an attorney, with some knowledge of copyright law to check in from time to time to clear up the fog, too! There seems to be a ton of confusion and contradictions as to what is permissible (i.e. parodies, instructional uses, etc) under U.S. and international law.

Just a thought...
 
Gee maybe we can find a lawyer to start a class action suit against youtube for the capricious and random way they "enforce" copyright laws? Some people do covers and never get bothered, others (who do it well) get slammed...can you say troll attack?
 
Gee maybe we can find a lawyer to start a class action suit against youtube for the capricious and random way they "enforce" copyright laws? Some people do covers and never get bothered, others (who do it well) get slammed...can you say troll attack?

Ha!!! That's a great idea. Of course the suit would have to prove damages to those getting the YouBoot. I would be interested to see how random the enforcement is or if it is just those who do it well who are the subjects. So far I haven't been bothered. I guess that means I need to practice more!!!
 
No need for hiring a lawyer, if just you listen´d to Detective Cop E. Wright. She looks super-cute AND helps you "taking the mystery out of copyright". Featuring a funky 70´s soundtrack too!
 
No need for hiring a lawyer, if just you listen´d to Detective Cop E. Wright. She looks super-cute AND helps you "taking the mystery out of copyright". Featuring a funky 70´s soundtrack too!

Righty-O! Cute AND funky! I was never going to hire a lawyer over this silliness. A copyright is a copyright, and the big message here is YOU NEED PERMISSION TO USE OTHER PEOPLES' WORKS or suffer the consequences, which in the case of youtube is usually suspending an account. Ouch!!! More serious actions are rightly directed to more serious infractions. I think this information is readily available here on UU somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look for it and thought maybe a dedicated board with this clear explanation would help clear things up and help ratchet down the rhetoric.

Thanks for the post, micromue...
 
It gets a lot of discussion but it's not really hard to understand. The confusion comes from a plethora of opinions that don't match the facts.

Essentially, if it's not your song, you can't do anything with it publicly without permission. You can't cover it, post it, share it etc... There are exceptions, but they are hard to defend. Fundamentally, it's not your property. Get permission.

I'm not sure we need a whole section. Perhaps a sticky.
 
one way out of it learn the song you want to cover , tweak it a bit , change the words call it something else
bang you have an original song
 
one way out of it learn the song you want to cover , tweak it a bit , change the words call it something else
bang you have an original song

Yeah, George Harrison tried that with My Sweet Lord and lost! Too close to He's So Fine. I remember John Lennon's response to that and he said something like, "We all do it. He just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar..." That's not the exact quote. I think it's in the Playboy interview he did, which is probably uploaded illegally somewhere on the webbernets!
 
I'm not sure we need a whole section. Perhaps a sticky.
Yes, a sticky!!! That's the tool I was talking about. I really must go deeper into UU's vastness for these things. And you're right. It's not a hard concept to grasp, y'all.

Thanks, Grump. Love your covers BTW... :nana:
 
i know what you are saying , i remember the whole adam ant prince charming rolf harris war canoe debate
they actualy play perfectly over each other


i forgot to say change the melody a bit maybe the timing , the phrasing. its amazing how quick something sounds different,

everyone is inspired by somebody somewhere
 
i know what you are saying , i remember the whole adam ant prince charming rolf harris war canoe debate
they actualy play perfectly over each other


i forgot to say change the melody a bit maybe the timing , the phrasing. its amazing how quick something sounds different,

everyone is inspired by somebody somewhere

I know what you meant, Krabbers. I was just being a wise guy. It just got me thinking... Always dangerous, that... There's lots of "Fun With Copyright" cases out there. How 'bout when John Fogerty got sued for stealing HIS OWN song (Run Through The Jungle = Old Man Down The Road)?
 
Here's a great 10 minute explanation of everything you need to know about copyright and fair use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

As to why Youtube keeps pulling the videos down it is very easy to understand: MONEY!!!

If you take your ukulele to a bar and play a song in the WMG catalogue (say, "Happy Birthday...") you as the artist don't owe WMG anything! Yay!!! However, the bar does. In fact all (*reputable*) bars pay a licensing fee to WMG and other copyright holders so that musicians can come in and entertain their patrons.

The law has been a bit hazy where Youtube is concerned. But, I think that most have decided that youtube is kinda like a giant bar. Youtube either has to pay a licensing fee to the copyright holders or Youtube has to keep all copyrighted music off of the site.

I'll give you three guesses as to which direction Youtube decided to take.

As to why only some videos are pulled... I've no idea.
 
Here's a great 10 minute explanation of everything you need to know about copyright and fair use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

As to why Youtube keeps pulling the videos down it is very easy to understand: MONEY!!!

If you take your ukulele to a bar and play a song in the WMG catalogue (say, "Happy Birthday...") you as the artist don't owe WMG anything! Yay!!! However, the bar does. In fact all (*reputable*) bars pay a licensing fee to WMG and other copyright holders so that musicians can come in and entertain their patrons.

The law has been a bit hazy where Youtube is concerned. But, I think that most have decided that youtube is kinda like a giant bar. Youtube either has to pay a licensing fee to the copyright holders or Youtube has to keep all copyrighted music off of the site.

I'll give you three guesses as to which direction Youtube decided to take.

As to why only some videos are pulled... I've no idea.

Yes, the law is actually pretty clear about this. A lot of ukers are feeling singled out, but I have to think all musicians get the dreaded notice from YT from time to time. YT has to do what they have to do, especially when there's advertising revenue thru partnering, etc, and artists are responsible for securing their own rights and all they have to do is suspend accounts instead of paying blanket fees to A,B,&C music publishers. The randomness of enforcement probably has to do with the record companies using some sort of search tool that picks them out, based on the amount of hits or subscribers someone has, or god knows what. Nice reference on the "Happy Birthday" BTW - most people don't know that you need permission for that, too. Here's that story:

http://www.unhappybirthday.com/
 
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