Tag Archives: Copyright Laws
Music Copyright Laws Can Hurt Musicians
In the United States, music copyright laws are in place to protect the author of the music. Music copyright laws are intended to prevent people or companies from stealing and using music that is not theirs. However, the author of a piece of music defined by music copyright law may not be the real author. This happens when record companies abuse the music copyright laws and manipulate musicians. History tells us that music copyright laws protect the record companies more than they protect musicians themselves. Popular established record companies such as Virgin Records, Sony, Elektra and Legacy are known to abide by music copyright law. However, there are many smaller record companies that use music copyright law to their advantage in order to manipulate musicians. There are thousands of unsigned bands in the United States that have been together for a long time and continue to work hard even though they have never received a record contract. It is these bands that the smaller record companies look for; frustrated musicians who are just looking for a break. The record company will pick a band that they feel can produce successful songs. They will then offer the band a record contract … Continue reading
The President and Copyright Law
Ever since February of 2007 when he made the announcement that he was running for President of The United States, Barack Obama’s name and face have been put on almost every product imaginable. Originally it was Barack Obama’s own campaign that would sell typical items, such as pins and posters in order to raise money. However, towards the end of the democratic primaries in mid 2008, the battle to win the party’s nomination made Barack Obama a household name. Pins and posters quickly turned into more unusual products such as Chia Pets, his own cereal, pajamas and even a new Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor. The amount of Obama products that companies were selling was unprecedented compared to any other item they have sold. When Barack Obama was elected President of The United States, sales went even further through the roof. It was around this time that lawyers and other staff members on The President’s team started raising concerns and questions about the US copyright laws. This raises questions about copyright laws. • If a celebrity’s face is used on products that are sold to the public, they will demand and in most cases receive royalties. Royalties are benefits … Continue reading
Napster Broke Federal Copyright Laws
During the last couple years of the 1990s, a new computer program became available for download for free. This new program was called Napster. It was one of a kind and quickly became popular. The purpose of the program was to provide users with free music. The concept was that users would upload music onto the program and then share their music. Other users could then download your music and vise versa. Eventually, millions of users were able to all share their music collection with each other. The music was in mp3 format which is simple to download and play from almost any media players. It was not long until professional musicians became aware of this program and started asking questions regarding federal copyright law. According to federal copyright laws, one cannot make copies of a band’s CD and sell it without the band’s permission. Napster was promoting free music trading which in any other format, would break federal copyright law. However, trading music on the internet was a new concept in 2000 when the first legal challenge came about, so not everyone was sure whether or not Napster broke any federal copyright laws. • In 2000, heavy metal band … Continue reading