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What Is
Copyright?
Copyright is a form of
protection provided by the laws
of your country to the authors
of “original works of
authorship,” including literary,
dramatic, musical, artistic, and
certain other intellectual
works.
This protection is
available to both published and
unpublished works. The Copyright
Act usually gives the copyright
owner the exclusive right to do
and to authorize others to do
the following:
· To reproduce
the work in written copies,
mp3s, CDs, DVDs etc;
· To prepare derivative
works based upon
the work;
· To distribute the written copies
or CDs/DVDs
of the work to the public by
sale or other transfer of
ownership, or by rental, lease,
or lending;
· To perform the work publicly,
in the case of literary,
musical, dramatic, and
choreographic works, pantomimes,
and motion pictures and other
audiovisual works;
· To display the copyrighted work
publicly,
in the case of literary,
musical, dramatic,
and choreographic works,
pantomimes,
and pictorial, graphic, or
sculptural works, including the
individual images of a motion
picture or other audiovisual
work; and
· In the case of sound
recordings, to perform the work
publicly by means
of a digital audio
transmission.
How do I
protect my original music
compositions?
There are a
few things that you can do to
ensure that your work is
protected:
1. Somewhere on your sheet
music
(usually at the top or bottom)
you
should put the symbol
©
(the letter ‘C’
in a circle) and/or the word
“Copyright”;
2. Write down the first year
of publication
of the music. E.g. “2005”;
3. Include the name of the
composer.
4. You can post yourself a
sealed copy
of your own work, which, when it
arrives will have a date stamped
on it.
Do not open the envelope.
Store it in a safe place.
5. Register your work with
the music copyright association
in your country.
In Australia it is the
Australian
Performing Rights Association.
These days, you can join and
submit work online.
How long
does copyright last?
In the
U.S.A., a work that is created
(fixed in tangible form for the
first time) on or after January
1, 1978, is automatically
protected from the moment of its
creation and is ordinarily given
a term enduring for the author's
life plus an additional 70 years
after the author's death. In the
case of "a joint work prepared
by two or more authors who did
not work for hire," the term
lasts for 70 years after the
last surviving author's death.
For works made for hire, and for
anonymous and pseudonymous works
(unless the author's identity is
revealed in Copyright Office
records), the duration of
copyright will be 95 years from
publication or 120 years from
creation, whichever is shorter.
PLEASE NOTE:
You are advised to seek
professional legal help
relating to the intricacies of
Copyright.
Click here to go to APRA for
more information
Click here for International
Music Copyright
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