From the course: Music Law: Copyrighting a Song
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From the course: Music Law: Copyrighting a Song
Who owns a song?
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- The songwriter is the initial owner of the song copyright. As copyright owner, the songwriter can sell, license or give the copyright to someone else. Copyright owners can even use song copyrights to secure loans. That is, as a form of collateral. If a song copyright owner dies and does not leave a will, then state laws kick in, known as intestate rules, and the state decides who inherits the song, usually a spouse, child or other relative. If a copyright is bequeathed to several people, they become co-owners and can sell or otherwise dispose of their individual shares. Many song copyrights are bought and sold, sometimes as investments. Typically, the company doing the buying is a music publisher, a business that exploits song copyrights, collects revenue and takes care of the paperwork. A music publisher acquires ownership of a song copyright by signing a music publishing agreement with the songwriter. Typically, the music publishing agreement provides for the songwriter to receive…
Contents
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Getting started with registration
2m 33s
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Choosing the type of work
1m 56s
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Entering your title or titles
4m 40s
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Publication/completion
2m 10s
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Authors
4m 30s
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Claimants
2m 30s
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Limitation of claim
3m 48s
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Rights and permissions (and beyond)
2m 1s
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Certification and review
2m 15s
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Deposit materials
2m 29s
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Paper forms and PDFs
2m 59s
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