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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Re-posting because the PTBs said the last
was too long. Shhheeesh, go figure. Me? Long-winded?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Kenneth<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Emma,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I think 'period' music, created by and
original to our SCA and Ren Faire and SF&F performers and artists is
great. Faire game (sorry;)) as far as I’m concerned. We just
have to be careful not to lay claim to the work as our own, making sure we give
credit to the original composer. In fact, there may actually be copyright
violation issues to deal with. It can get tricky, and even our attorneys
tell us that intellectual property is a minefield. Licensing, permission,
infringement, Fair-Use, parody, etc. are all terms people casually throw around
without really understanding their meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Chirstianna, did you ever do any legal
work with IP? You may be the best one to shed some light on this if you
did.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I may one day give a class on this, but it
is something we have to deal with all the time since we publish recorded CDs
that sometimes contain the work of other people. Here are just a couple
of legal realities we have had to learn for our little RBM business.
Though I’m not, technically, a lawyer (</span></font><font size=2
color=navy face=Wingdings><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;
color:navy'>J</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>), this might prove
helpful to some.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>There are three primary kinds of licenses
involved in publishing or performing someone else’s work. 1.
The mechanical license (also known as the “compulsory
license”). This is easy, costs very little, and is pretty
straightforward. If you record somebody else’s song on your CD,
(assuming they have published their song), all you have to do is pay them
(actually their publisher….often one and the same) the statutory rate,
currently 9-cents per copy per song. If the song has already been
released by the original artist (or published in any way), they actually have
no say in the matter! That’s where the “compulsory”
part comes in. It may not be NICE to record someone else’s song if
they don’t want you to, but it isn’t illegal as long as you pay for
the license. 2. Permission to print lyrics. Even though you
may have obtained the mechanical license for a song to put on your CD,
reproducing/printing the lyrics DOES require permission. It doesn’t
usually cost anything, but can be MUCH harder to obtain. Doing it without
permission is a copyright infringement. 3. The performance license.
Any “public performance” of a work under active copyright is a
violation of copyright law IF the venue does not have a performance
license! Note that I said “venue” and not
“performer.” Performance licenses are not usually granted to
performers, but rather to a venue. For example, you may notice
“ASCAP” or “BMI” stickers in the windows of restaurants
or bars. That’s because they pay performing rights organizations
(PROs) like ASCAP for the right to play music in their establishment. If
they don’t have these licenses, they can’t have the radio on,
can’t have a juke box, can’t have bands doing covers, etc. We
used to play at Borders Books and Music quite a lot a few years ago.
Depending on which site we played, they would sometimes ask us to only play
songs we owned the copyright to. If we had decided to play “Witch
of the Westmereland,” and Archie Fisher found out about it, he would have
grounds to sue Borders. We would not be sued! The venue
would. That is an important distinction. Now is it likely that
Archie Fisher would ever find out? And if he did, would he sue? I
think the odds are very low. But it does not mean it isn’t
illegal. The reason this is so important is that SCA bardic circles can
be considered “public performances.” Though suit is not
likely, we could be putting the site owners in legal hot water if we perform
works under active copyright. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>One last
thing (I promise). I have heard MANY people say that they are not
violating copyright because of the “Fair Use” doctrine in copyright
law, which gives you a pass if the work is used for “criticism, comment,
news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use),
scholarship, or research.” It does NOT matter how much of the
original work is used. It’s all about the purpose. I’ve
heard people say “well I only used a few of the lines from that song, so
it’s OK under the Fair Use doctrine.” Not true. You can
be OK using an entire song, or in violation if you only use a line or
two. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>OK, if there are any entertainment
attorneys on the list, please feel free to clarify any of this.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Cheers!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=2 color=navy
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Kenneth
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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