• Registered: 2007-07-15
  • Posts: 5

Topic: cheep/free publish, copyright,

any one know how to do a cheep/free publish, copyright, protection for
songs (intellectual property) I have been looking for months.
I don't want to sale music or get a $100
us patent office registration.  there is so much dis-information out there.
places like taxi or CD baby or ASCAP don't do this so don't make these suggestions.
every one says "o ya there is a website Im 100% sure"
But when you press them on it they relly dont know.
and dont say just wrighting down a song or recording it gives you protiction.
this may be true but in reality thats worthless (I know from painfull experince) thank you for any help you can give me

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

try the library of congress copyright theres a web site you can fill out the copyright online it cost $35.00 and you need to send two CD's with as many songs as you like and it still only cost $35.00 heres the link to the online site just follow the directions and watch the tutorial smile
http://www.copyright.gov/register/

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: Independence, Mo
  • Registered: 2007-09-23
  • Posts: 233

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

Might try myfreecopyright.com. I use it, it's free, and they say legal to use in court.
{hope that never has to happen} Anyway, try that.
                                                                      getfiddle

A musician is someone with too much time on their hands! Thank god I'm a musician!!!

getfiddle's Website

  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

Greetings Coyote1313,

  I can relate to you on the protection of intellectual property issue.  When it comes down to brass tacks, a copyright or patent are only as good as the attorneys you have to hire to defend them.

  Jerome made a good point in an earlier posting on a related subject about posting his music here on Chordie to help serve as provenance in the event that his work is "liberated".  Another low dollar protection would be to have the printed or preferably hand written copy and drafts of your work packaged together read dated and notarized.  Making as much a public record of as you are comfortable with, in a manner that a time-line is clearly established should you ever have to defend your proprietorship.

  Have a friend that blew a fortune on lawyers trying to defend his international patent on an electronics component when it was infringed upon.  We are talking millions of dollars in legal fees, years of litigation, and he ran out of money before it all got sorted out.... if it has yet.

  Every piece of provenance is another bullet in the magazine if you ever have to shoot it out in a courtroom.  Usually the guy with deeper pockets will win, but the guy with the most "rounds" impresses the Judge. Sort of levels the playing field.

Take Care;
Doug

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare
  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

I can only speak the US, but I believe many countries share similar copyright laws.

The 1st thing you do is write it down.  In America, copyright is implicit on authorship.  That is, you don't have to do anything other than put something in a tangible form for you to hold copyright on it.  That might mean scoring it, or recording it, or publishing it here.

As mentioned, one of the reasons I use Chordie is to do that.  I put an original work here, and I immediately have copyright to it.  And I can defend that as my own.  I posted it, it's got a date attached, and it's nice.

What registering the copyright does is allow you to increase your damages should you end up suing someone for violating it.  It is a civil violation to violate someones copyright.   If you have it registered, and you mark it with the little "circle c" and put "Copyright blah blah blah" on it, that allows you even a stronger position if it comes to litigation.

So if you want it copyrighted, the best thing you can do is publish it.  Stick it up on Chordie, or put it down on paper, or something like that.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • Registered: 2007-07-15
  • Posts: 5

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

Chuck AKA getfiddle
I have been trying to log on to  myfreecopyright.com.
but I con not for some reason?
may be because I have a Mac?
I have set them  a number of emails about this but to date I have not received a response from them. I thought they may be out of business.
have you used that website lately.

  • KAP54
  • Honoured Member
  • Offline
  • From: London Ontario Canada
  • Registered: 2008-06-04
  • Posts: 1,746

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

I could be wrong on this but I believe that if you put it up on Chordie that is a form of publishing that would go a long way in a court of law.It will cost money to defend even if you have a copyright.So you can't get any less expensive then this.
That's my take. I hope it helps
Kenny

PS  Should this topic be posted at Chordie Chat?

Just Keepin on Keepin on
Martin DC15E
Cort MR710F
Squire Strat (Chinese)
  • Registered: 2007-07-15
  • Posts: 5

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

I was finely able to log on to my free copy wright.
it was not working with Yahoo so I used a gmail account.
I am not sure how it works, dose it down lode your file to there server?
If I publish a song on cordie  is it public or private?

  • From: Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 338

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

A word of warning about using chordie for copyright purposes. You are using a method that depends upon the site's goodwill to hold your copyright. Your copyright will depend on the integrity of the server that holds the information and upon the site's policy on backing up memory. I have experience (on other sites ) of both of these being compromised at different times. I would also wonder about the possibility of hackers using the comment editing facility to change original posts - are the changes noted by chordie ?

"What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understandin' ."    Elvis Costello

alansheeran's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

alansheeran wrote:

A word of warning about using chordie for copyright purposes. You are using a method that depends upon the site's goodwill to hold your copyright. Your copyright will depend on the integrity of the server that holds the information and upon the site's policy on backing up memory. I have experience (on other sites ) of both of these being compromised at different times. I would also wonder about the possibility of hackers using the comment editing facility to change original posts - are the changes noted by chordie ?

Those are valid points.   It would be worthwhile to print it out, too.

A site promising free copyright makes me wonder.  Copyright is already free.  What service is it that they purport to provide?

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: cheep/free publish, copyright,

When You edit the comment the original post still remains only an administrator can remove the original post smile

alansheeran wrote:

I would also wonder about the possibility of hackers using the comment editing facility to change original posts - are the changes noted by chordie ?

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website