• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: PLAGIARISM

How long is a song VALID for copyrights, if you bring it in of course, both lyrics and music? I heard it is 70 years.
What happens, if you take the lyrics and put an other melody on it, or a 1998 song with other lyrics.
I am specialy interessed in the period, because a lot of people told me, 70 years.
This means, that you can take a song, dated in 1930, putted in a "brandnew modern jacquet" should be LEGAL?????

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • cickan
  • Junior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Sweden
  • Registered: 2006-11-15
  • Posts: 8

Re: PLAGIARISM

Yeah, if noone's got copyright on the song it's legal. But I do believe you can't be certain that 70 years is the limit, although it's not likely anyones got copyright on a 70 year old song. However, If the company that released the song still exists they most likely have the copyrights to it.

Being kicked in the groin is a pleasant surprise

3 Reply by upyerkilt (edited by upyerkilt 2007-05-23 16:38:12)

  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
  • Unofficial king of Scotland
  • Offline
  • From: Balloch, Scotland, UK, Earth
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 3,290

Re: PLAGIARISM

it is 70 years in USA and 50 years in the UK, dont know about the rest of the planet.

Cliff richard is a fighting this as his songs are soon to be over 50 years. He wants it to be the same as america

There is a difference as well wit hthe songwriting and the performer.
I think it is after 50 years the person/band that sang the song stop getting royalties but the writer gets some  for a few years later.
Meaning if cliff wrote and performed a song he would get money for writing the song after a certain time but would stop getting money for singing it.
If he wrote  song and the who (lol, no chance) sang it, they would stop receiving money but cliff would still receive some.

( this is what I read from the daily record last week)

and this is not a song request

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending