Copyright advice
Any help with this is hugely appreciated.
My band have been asked to have one of our tracks included in an upcoming feature film soundtrack. As part of this, the producer is asking for proof of copyright ownership. The track is part of a release that we registered through both Tunecore and CDBaby. During the process, I also tried to register the ISRCs through the PPL, but they said there was a duplicate claim already made. Since at the time it was just our closest friends who knew about the music we were making, I had assumed that the duplicate claim was due to registering it through other services. I've had a look through those sites and can't find anything meaningful there which states that the copyright claim is ours.
The producer has warned us that we should get this registered with the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) in the USA as soon as possible, but I'm just wondering if this is necessary.
Is there any way I can find out whether or not I have registered the copyright on the tracks we've released?
Joke replies also welcome as they'll bump this and make it more likely to be seen by someone who may know something about this.
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Get on the phone to PRS/MCPS
they're very helpful.
Cool thanks
Will do that
Not really my area but your producer's advice to get the copyright registered in the USA seems sound to me
In a lot of jurisdictions (such as the UK) it is not necessary to register copyright - it is automatically assumed to subsist as soon as the work in question has been recorded. Obviously proving who actually created the work in which the copyright subsists can be problematic, but effectively it 'exists' in the UK as soon as the work has been set down. In your case the registering of the song with Tunecore and CDBaby would certainly help, but it sounds like you need to get to the bottom of the duplicate claim for the IRSC as soon as possible.
I'm assuming from the post that the main issue for you (and the producer) is the existence of copyright in the USA. I don't have much knowledge of US copyright practice, but I know for a fact that they do have a system of copyright registration there and for this reason it seems sensible to register it, provided the Electronic Copyright Office is the correct forum to do this.
What you have to remember is that the producer of the film has to cover his back; he cannot use a song for which rights have not been cleared and risk the owner of the copyright coming after him once the film is out. My worry for you would be that if you don't register the copyright in the US he may simply elect not to use your band's song and go for a song where the copyright is fully and correctly registered.
Hopefully there might be a US copyright expert who posts here who can advise further, but if not and you can wait until this afternoon (when they wake up) I'm happy to call one of our US associates to talk it through if that would help
Dan you are helpful beyond all comprehension
Thanks so much for the post! The registration fee for the US registration is only $35 for the release, so I think I'll get that done regardless of the situation and as you say, the last thing we want to do is end up losing this opportunity due to something simple like this.
That's ok - happy to help
Am actually calling someone in the US this afternoon anyway re something else so will run this past him. If he has anything important to add will let you know
Thanks
Hi maosm
Just talked to the US guy and he confirmed that the eCO system is the correct way to register your copyright in the USA so this would seem to be the way to go. He mentioned that the form could be a little tricky so he's sending me through his FAQ and standard guide stuff that he gives to his firm's clients. If you want to PM me your email I'll send it through to you when I get it from him
Hey Dan
That'd be great, thanks! PM'd!
``The registration fee for the US registration is only $35 for the release``
I know that's not a lot of money in the scheme of things, but what a rort to have to pay to get `official` recognition of your authorship.