Copyrighting Your Music

Any original idea that changes into a tangible form becomes copyrightable. Its author then has the right and authority to own his creation. This goes for any work in the field of art, literature, design or research and also music. Any music composed should be written down every minute from the creation of its first note to the point where lyrics are completed and the song is sung. Though all this music is to entertain people, it should still be kept safe from infringers.

Many music composers are reluctant to share their work because they fear their song might be unlawfully copied. But if a song is registered it gets protected against plagiarism. As soon as a work is put down in a tangible form on paper, disk or computer file, it is copyrighted but registering it is a whole new process.

The United States Copyright Office states, "Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of 'original works of authorship'... It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of the copyright." The US Copyright office has all these rights on its site and explains in three steps how to secure the copyright of a sound recording. The whole process takes six months and a registration fee of $45.

The US Copyright Office method takes a good amount of money and time but another cheaper, easier and quicker way is the "poor man's copyright". The owner mails himself a copy of his work and leaves the envelope unopened. This work is opened only when the owner has to prove his authority in the court against an alleged work or an infringement. But this method is doubted by the legal authorities because deception is very easy in this method. The owner can even mail himself an unsealed envelope hence change as much content as he wants to. Therefore this method of copyright is not as reliable as the US Copyright Office method.

A new form of "poor man's copyright" is posting your song recording or lyrics to websites as Echoboost.com. But these websites came up with no information on their back up therefore, they are not as reliable either.

Don Pass, man and a music business attorney and author says, "You don't need to register the copyright in Washington, but it is a nice piece of evidence. If someone claims he wrote the song on such-and-such date, and you can prove you wrote it before that; then it helps."

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Copyright Violations and International Challenges

Many authors and publishers have been quite alarmed to find their books pirated, and reproduced in other nations and then distributed throughout the world. There have been big cases where stories from very famous authors have been pirated by the container loads. This happens all over the world, and it has been a big issue in China, probably because they produce most of the world's books now.

Imagine a pirating publisher taking all the books on the New York Times bestseller list, and printing tens of thousands of each, putting them into containers and shipping them to the United States for sale in our markets. Also, shipping the same books to many other countries before our publishers get the actual books on the shelves and into those markets. Yes, this is a serious issue.

Indeed, there was a very interesting article the other day in the Los Angeles times titled "China Gives a Shred about Piracy" by Barbara Demick reporting from Beijing China. The article explained that the Chinese government in Beijing had found pirated DVDs, books, and even magazines and they were destroying them. There was even a picture of a large Caterpillar skip loader moving everything into a pile to be burned. Indeed, it seems like a big waste of money to do that, but Beijing figures that it's the best way to send a message to prevent copyright infringement and piracy.

China now has The National Copyright Administration and the leadership in China wants everyone to know around the world that they are trying to stop the problem of copyright violations. This is a very good thing and it's going to make most of their trading partners quite happy, as it has been a very big complaint for a number of years. Indeed, China is also worried about copyright infringements concerning its own material now, as other countries are copying Chinese produced material, and now they understand the economic loss that can occur.

Yes, China is growing up and they are joining the world in getting rid of copyrighted contraband and pirated material. Some critics charge that this is merely a ploy and a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of cargo containers shipped all over the world of pirated products, and copyrighted material.

Perhaps, there is some truth to both sides of this debate, but just the fact that China is stepping up to the plate to do this, and to make a very public statement shows that things are improving. And that is a good thing. Indeed, hope you'll please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.worldthinktank.net/ - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.

What If Google and Wikipedia Disappeared Forever?

As most know Wikipedia went dark on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 in protest of the SOPA bill, and for them with a small staff, they certainly have a point, as their business model could be targeted and shut down. There is no way they could hire enough people to ensure everything posted was original, every sentence, and every picture "duty free" - thus, what if Wikipedia did not exist? Google also blacked out its logo to get us to think also.

Okay so, let's discuss this shall we? What If Google and Wikipedia disappeared forever? I guess your online experience wouldn't be the same, and no one can remember everything on the web. If knowledge is power, what if your power was hijacked and sold back to you, or kept from you? You think the 99% have it bad now, what if? Got a set of encyclopedias? Well, I do, along with a 3500 volume library, but really it is a tiny sliver of the information now available online as you know.

Indeed, I was talking to a college professor locally here recently about Wikipedia going dark for one day, and he said he wished he would have known sooner, as he would have scheduled a research paper or term paper due the following day knowing most students pull an all-nighter the night before and lift information from Wikipedia, and it would be great to watch them drown in sorrow without all that information, make them do their own research for a change. I laughed with him on that point.

And yet, still we both agreed that the SOPA issue and the draconian measures proposed would indeed limit information, and would be used to censor soon enough. Any politicians who didn't want critique would figure out a way to use that law to shut down their political critics or opposition. Corporate America would use it to shut down whistleblowers, or upset consumers to falsely prop-up critics of their products and services. Governments would use it for the same. It would be a nightmare.

The reality is there are laws against people who pirate software, music, movies, or sell pirated branded products. No one denies that, and we all know that needs to stop, but in the end this SOPA rule will not really stop much, but it will quell free-speech, freedom, liberty, and democracy. That's not something that the United States ought to be spear-heading, it goes against all we stand for you see.

There was an interesting article in the Atlanta Wire recently titled; "The Great Martin Luther King Copyright Conundrum," by Adam Clark Estes published on January 16, 2012, which stated:

"Believe it or not, to legally watch that famous MLK "I Have a Dream" speech -- arguably one of the most hallowed moments in American History -- costs $10 thanks to the twisted state of US Copyright Law. With the dramatic rise of the issue of digital rights, thanks largely in part to the dramatic controversy surrounding the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the story seems unusually prescient this year."

Yes, indeed, and that's a good point isn't it. Well, I will leave you with that, and I hope you will please consider an altered online experience if something like SOPA ever came to pass. Think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

Google Images, Free Vectors, GIF's, and Icons: What You Need to Know Right Now

So you've found the perfect images for your project, but you may not know about copyright or you might not be sure whether it's okay to use the images for your personal or commercial needs. While it may be frustrating enough to want to hire a copyright lawyer, many small businesses, website owners and craftsmen may not be able or willing to spend big bucks for copyright services.

First, what is copyright and how does it affect you?

In general, copyright protects the creator and his work from being copied. This applies to both personal and commercial uses. The creator of the work alone has the right to copy and control all aspects of any copies made of such work.

In the United States, copyright is the right to create a piece of work and automatically be given protection from another entity using or copying that piece of work, for personal or commercial use, whether or not it has been published or registered.

All countries have their own copyright laws, and those laws must be adhered to by anyone who wishes to use images from another country. You can find helpful information about many countries' copyright laws by reading the U.S. Copyright Office's Circular 38a: "International Copyright Relations of the United States" at copyright.gov/circs or by visiting the World Intellectual Property Organization's website at wipo.int/.

While it's not necessary to spend hours reading about copyright law, it's a good idea to be a little familiar with it. You can find a good overview on Wikipedia, just use the search term "copyright".

In general if you do not adhere to copyright laws you risk being sued, and penalized.

The good news is that most designers are well aware of the copyright laws that protect them, and will be more than happy to tell you what you need to know to use their clip art for commercial purposes.

To be safe, find and keep a record of the following information about the clip art you've chosen:

Some websites offer hundreds of different artist's work. Not all of the artist's allow commercial use, and some have different terms of use.

Does the actual creator of the image allow commercial use?

Do you need to pay extra for a commercial use license once you have purchased the image, and how long will the license last?

Are you limited to how many items you can use the image with, or to what types of items you can make with the image?

Will you have to pay royalties and what will the terms be?

There are also a couple things you should never do:

Resell the images as they are. For example: You want to compile or offer some clip-art, vectors or graphics on a CD or website. To do this, you would need a special "Resale License" and most designer's do not offer this. Change the art in any way or claim the it as your own. In most cases you cannot copy or change any works created by another entity.

It is absolutely necessary to check (and document) the designer's "Terms of Use" or "Policies" to get the answers to these questions. If you can't find a designer's terms of use, or you're still not clear on how their terms play a part in your intended use of the images, the best thing to do is to email the designer (or photographer) and ask. Either wait for an answer or be prepared to shell out some money for a copyright lawyer.

Imagine that you have a successful product, with a lot of time, money, and hard work behind it. It is safer and easier to deal with copyright issues in the beginning rather than in the end, in court.

Need royalty free clip art, and graphics? Find them at ImagesClipArt

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Most Bloggers Do Not Copyright Their Work - And Why You Should or Shouldn't

If you are a blogger, I am certain that you've considered copyrighting your work. And if you blog about more intellectual things, I am also certain that people have copied what you've written, or the ideas and concepts onto their own blogs. You may not care, because you are able to spread your message across the Internet in this way, and if the individuals mentioned you and give you credit for it, that helps spread your notoriety and popularity. That's all good if that's what you're interested in.

Now then, let's take another case in point. What if someone is stealing your work off your blog, and is then either rewriting it, or simply claiming it as their own, and putting their name on it? How would you ever know that they are doing this, after all there are hundreds of millions of blogs in the world? Should you copyright what you write? Most bloggers don't, because they have considered the comments above, and they want to spread the word about something they believe in, something that is near and dear to their heart, perhaps a social cause - alternative energy, or something they wish to make known to the public online.

If you put a copyright symbol at the bottom of each blog post on your blog where it can be seen quite easily, this will deter probably 50 to 75% of those who might steal content from your site. But it will not deter the hardcore content thieves very often, or folks that don't believe in copyrights anymore, as perhaps they are part of the new generation and believe all the information belongs to the world, even though you created it. These folks are less likely to give you credit, and they may be stealing you blind. In other words they are using your thoughts, your words, your concepts, and ideas and spreading them around.

If you are someone like me, you probably aren't too offended because the reason you write is to get a message out to everyone, but if you are like me, it probably irks you when people steal your content, and fail to give you credit for it. If someone takes your content, gives you credit for it and gives you a link back to your website, you may think that is fine, and you might even send them an e-mail thanking them for it. One thing I have found is that when people steal your content and you catch them, they won't even bother returning your e-mail and sometimes they won't even remove it from their site.

So what is a blogger supposed to do - threaten another blogger? As you know that can start online animosity and words of war. Nevertheless the amount of copyright violation going on with blogs around the Internet is so intense, and so problematic, that it is doubtful that any copyright law or symbol will protect you whether you display it or not.

Is this simply a cost of doing business, is this the price you have to pay for getting your words out online? If it is that is rather upsetting, but it's something you have to come to terms with when it comes to copyright law online. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is the Founder of the Online Think Tank, a diverse group of achievers, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs, thinkers, futurists, academics, dreamers, leaders, and general all around brilliant minds. Lance Winslow hopes you've enjoyed today's discussion and topic. http://www.worldthinktank.net/ - Have an important subject to discuss, contact Lance Winslow.