Discussion:
What is the name of your state?
Tennessee
a friend of mine wants to make and sell beats, instrumentals and background music for songs over the internet (small business). i'm kinda helpping him when it comes to the legal business, so i wanted to know (1) what is the difference between a copyright p and copyright c and which one is for that area of music and (2) how do we start or what shall we do next? we are more at the development stages so i need to know everything. plus, where i could find the information given (website, book, ect.)
Answer:
In the simplest terms, copyright means the right to copy. Only the owner of the copyright, usually the creator of the piece, is allowed to produce or reproduce the work in question or to permit anyone else to do so. Copyright law rewards and protects creative endeavors by giving the sole right to publish or use your work in any number of ways. You may also choose not to publish or to prevent anyone else from doing so. By way of example, the business that creates instruction manuals, descriptive literature, promotion material and price lists or develops computer software has the right to prevent others from copying this creation.
Keep in mind that copyright also applies to all kinds of recordings, such as records, cassettes, and compact discs, which are called "mechanical contrivances" in the Copyright Act. There is a separate copyright for the musical work, for example, a song, and for the device, such as a cassette that produces the song. Separate protection exists because the song and the sound recording are considered to be two different works.
The word original is key in defining a work that qualifies for copyright protection. Naturally, you cannot obtain a copyright for someone else's creation. Originality can be tricky to determine, however, and many court cases revolve around the question of whether a work has been copied, even in part, from somebody else's work.
Copyright means the sole right to produce or reproduce a work, or a substantial part of it in any form. It includes the right to perform the work, or any substantial part of it, or in the case of a lecture, to deliver it; if the work is unpublished, it includes the right to publish it, or any substantial part of it.
Also, If a work is created after 1989 the © is not required to validate your copyright claim.
Go here for a more exhaustive discussion on copyright. And, if you begin to succeed in this endeavor, hire a copyright attorney. It is well worth the money.