Help: Copyright Restrictions..What are they?

Subject: Copyright Restrictions..What are they?
From: GaryD
Date: 12 Aug 99 - 12:16 AM

Hello Again!... It is good to be back...Wow, the new format changes are neat..I'll have to play around here awhile next time...! However, right now I need to find out some information about the use of Mudcat material. I know you went through a lot to get permission to post the great DT & this forum without getting hung by copyright problems. I use the songs just for singing with my friends, non professionally, so I don't there is any problem there.

However, I have a friend who belongs to a non profit organization who wants to use the songs to sing at family life type convention.

Can we do so, and if we can, can we print the words to be used as handouts so the audience can sing along?

What if the organization was non profit?, or for profit? or if it is non profit, they still collect money for the convention fees, but we are not selling music, or the songs?

Do we have to give the author/artist/or source credit? What about permission? Do we have to contact author/artist/source, or agencies such as ASCAP to use the material in such manner?

Any clarification of these issues would be great.. Take care & Keep on the Sunnyside!... Gary

Subject: RE: Help: Copyright Restrictions..What are they?
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 12 Aug 99 - 11:07 AM

If you used an ohp or PC powerpoint slide output on to a screen for the audience rather than handouts would that be OK? Or would it just keep the lawyers in exotic holidays for years trying to argue it out? (sorry, 'Eagle!).
Just as I think I have got the hang of copyright issues as it affects my punters at work the goalposts seem to move so I'm terminally confused.
But as you can tell from my postings, I start off pretty confused.

Subject: RE: Help: Copyright Restrictions..What are they?
From: Lesley N.
Date: 12 Aug 99 - 02:25 PM

There are a great many who are more expert at this than I, and no doubt they'll pitch in - but just a word of warning (which probably isn't necessary). Just because it's on mudcat does not mean it's public domain - and sometimes it's difficult to figure out!

Check out the very interesting article that was posted on the other copyright thread - http://www.woodpecker.com/articles/royalty-politics.html

Non-profit, religous, education, big fish, little fish - doesn't seem to really matter much - all are supposed to pay the piper. It reminds me of an old peom, "The Gobbleuns 'll get ya if ya don't watch out..."

Subject: RE: Help: Copyright Restrictions..What are they?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 12 Aug 99 - 06:24 PM

The first and most basic problem is that copyright is a legal right created by statute in each separate jurisdiction. So French copyrights exists under their new (ish) intelectual property code. It used to be their law of the 11th March 1957 as amended. It applies to things done in the jurisdiction of the French courts, and the French courts enforce it. US law differs from many others in a number of respects. English copyright is very like Irish and many other commonwealth countries. Australian is a hybrid with feaatures of both English and US. Etc.

International conventions (Berne and UCC are the best known) oblige goverments to make their copyright laws meet certain standards (if they adhere to the conventions) but some do so more grudgingly than others (check out the US Berne Convention Implementation Act if you want to see really grudging!).

In Europe we all have to put up with EEC directives made in Brussels, and if you think you know what a Brussel Sprout is, wait till that lot get at it.

So the first question, if you want an answer, is where do you want to do the things you want to do?