A work created on or after January 1, 1978 becomes copyrighted as soon as it is fixed in a tangible means of expression, which essentially means the date of creation. This was a considerable change from previous requirements under old law when a work was copyrighted only when registered with the copyright office or publicly […]
Tag Archives | copyright
Documentation and Planning for the Future
Most of us have a few files where we keep important papers, such as our birth certificate, car title, home mortgage documents, insurance policies, tax returns and the like. All of these papers are important. Sadly, the same amount of attention is seldom paid by songwriters to the details of perhaps their biggest asset, the […]
Termination Right
Most creators are amazed when they hear about the termination rights made possible by the 1976 Copyright Act. By law it is possible for a creator to recapture the rights transferred by grant, such as a publishing contract, single song agreement, administration agreement, or security for a loan. Even if the creator has an outstanding […]
Life of Copyright
The Copyright Law has gone through many changes and revisions over the years, so the life of any particular copyright is determined by a variety of factors. These include when the song was written, the date the song was first registered for copyright, if the song was published with notice prior to registration, if filing […]