Latest Knowledge Base Articles
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Q: What Is the Poor Man's Copyright?
Jul 13, 2009
A: Sometimes individuals, churches, or ministries try to circumvent the formal copyright registration process by using a “poor man’s copyright.” Essentially, this practice entails sending a copy of your work to yourself. Under federal copyright law, there is no such thing as a “poor man’s copyright.” Individuals should be cautioned from utilizing this type of procedure as it does not take the place of formal registration and does not afford the same benefits as formal registration.... | Read More
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Synchronization Right
Sep 28, 2008
Definition of synchronization rights of song owner. ... | Read More
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Church Blanket Licenses
Sep 23, 2008
Brief explanation of the four church blanket licenses and what they cover.... | Read More
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How do I get my "personal" songs that I have written protected by a copyright? We do them in church and other churches use them, but I would like them
Sep 1, 2008
The short and simple answer is that the copyright on your song is secured automatically as soon as you "fix it in a tangible medium of expression;" e.g., such as a song sheet, songbook, CD, cassette, MP3, etc. No registration with the Copyright Office is required to protect your song, but there can be advantages to registering it with the Copyright Office. Although it’s not required, it is highly recommended that you include a copyright notice, consisting of the “c in a circle” ©, the year of creation or first publication, and your name or your publishing company name (if applicable) in order to notify the general public that you are claiming original authorship in the song.
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ADMINISTRATION
Sep 1, 2008
The supervising for a fee (generally a percentage of income), usually by a major music publisher, of a smaller music publisher's financial and copyright matters regarding one or more songs or an entire catalog. The administrator does not necessarily own a share of the copyright, although one co-publisher could administer another co-publisher's share.... | Read More
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ADVANCE
Sep 1, 2008
The payment in advance of royalties to be earned in the future, and recouped by offsetting those future earned royalties against the money advanced. Advances are usually non-refundable.... | Read More
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A&R (ARTISTS AND REPERTORY)
Sep 1, 2008
The department in a record company that selects and deals with new artists, songs and records.... | Read More
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AUDIO/VISUAL WORK
Sep 1, 2008
An industry term for film, television or any other visual production.... | Read More
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ASSIGNMENT OF COPYRIGHT
Sep 1, 2008
The transfer of ownership of a copyright from one party to another, which must be in writing to be effective.... | Read More
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AUTHOR
Sep 1, 2008
The creator of "Intellectual Property" such as literary, musical and dramatic works; choreography; pictorial, graphic and sculptural works; audio/visual works and sound recordings. Therefore, the word author can denote composer, lyricist, record producer, choreographer, artist, photographer, writer or other creator (see "Work for Hire").... | Read More
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