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Copyrighting Songs?

razelberii

Bless the Lord, O my Soul
Apr 8, 2018
423
雨リカ
razzyru.com
Greetings, VocaVerse! It has been a while :kokone_lili:

Forgive me if this is not the best place to ask,
Has anyone here gone through the process of copyrighting their songs / or preventing YouTube strikes or DMCA strikes from taking down videos with you song (such as a cover)?

I was curious to know the procedure if that is alright.

I am slowly getting into creating songs, and would like to know some things beforehand to be prepared. I'm wondering if it is possible to allow for a song of mine to play without running into issue while someone is livestreaming (Twitch or YouTube), like background music.

I imagine the use of certain Vocaloids could prevent this, so for now I am asking in a general-sense.

Sorry for the strange question! Please feel free to share any experience you may have!
Thank you :rinlen_move:
 

lIlI

Staff member
Moderator
Apr 6, 2018
843
The Lightning Strike
Welcome back Razzy! Copyright law varies by country, but it is usually applied automatically upon creation of the work: this means you don't need to go through any formal process or organisation to own what you make.

In the US, you can choose to register copyright with the US Copyright Office, this just gives you and the government an extra record of your ownership. This may be necessary to do before filing a lawsuit, but isn't needed for DMCAs and other forms of copyright protection. In countries like the UK, there is no government registry of copyright, and you can prove your ownership through other means (such as holding the oldest copy of the work). The most important takeaway is that by default, you own what you make, and others can't use it without your permission, regardless of whether it's registered!

Some musicians register a particular type of copyrighted material: a trademark; this is usually a logo intended for merchandise featuring their album name, songs, or lyrics. A registered trademark has some specific protections intended to help fight knockoffs, such as preventing competitors in the same industry from using specific colours, shapes or phrases. It is essentially a slightly more specific form of ownership than the default copyright you have.

Labels use automated systems to strike videos that detect their music, but it doesn't happen automatically. If you wish to take down videos using your song, you can either do so manually by filing a DMCA with the website, or by working with a company/label that uses an automated system. Here's Youtube's DMCA form, which you can use to remove or monetise other people's videos with your music in them. However, if you don't want copies of your work to be taken down, this shouldn't happen unless you file a complaint yourself!

Most large websites pass DMCAs without human intervention, unfortunately meaning creators are always at risk of a false DMCA being filed against them. However, if you own everything you post, you should be able to submit a counter-notice successfully. Most musicians who receive a strike against them for their own work are registered with labels, and were picked up erroneously by their label's automatic copyright detection. (Oops)

Most governments have a website going over their copyright law, I recommend going there first! For example, the UK has a good, simplified overview of their copyright protections, which might be helpful for anyone who wants a general understanding of its principles.

In summary, copyright protection is something you have automatically, but it is up to you whether you choose to enforce it.
The bad news is that copyright law is complicated; the good news is that you might not need to do anything. I hope this helps! :sonika_ani_lili:
 
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