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Youtube copyright question

#6
Joe Nerve said:
What does one need to do in order to legally do their own version of a popular song, and upload a video of it on youtube without breaking any laws and/or having it taken down?
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Contact the owner of the copyright (or their agents) and request their permission in writing. Put a copy of the permission on the video (usually at the end). It's a public performance, and needs to be licensed as such. Some authors are sharper than others at protecting their intellectual property.

'Fair use' doesn't apply when you cover an entire song. It's for review purposes (i.e, a small extract) only, and the legal definition of it is quite woolly anyway.

Of course, I'm only someone on the internet, and my advice is worth what you paid for it. Talk to an attorney if it's a big issue to you.
 
#7
Or just do it until the owner complains and makes them take it down, unless you get thousands of views I wouldn't worry much.
Also it appears that a lot of people just put cover in the title.

Why not just do something original?
Dirk
 
#8
I'm not sure it's all that big a deal. I have about 70 or so tunes (all covers) sitting in a private acount on you tube.

A couple of times I gotten notices "matched third party content"
They sent me a little note saying they caught it but it's not a big deal. "In some cases we may put ads linked to your video"

I think the owner has the option of how it's handled. Maybe you get the audio pulled off the vid maybe he just gets paid for the adsense links.

I think you'd have to be getting some fairly serious traffic before you ruffled feathers or they burn down you account.

In any case, I'm sure they'll tell you to behave first.
 
#9
We have over 1 hundred posted. I got the usually notice even if I give credit to the artist like mention above. They asked us to put ads on the videos recently haven't done it yet but, I am sure it will happen. I have also seen high traffic videos lose their audio. If you are talking about recording your own version for profit, you will need to contact the owners and pay for permission to record the song.If not unless your video goes viral you shouldn't have a problem.
 
#10
Joe Nerve said:
What does one need to do in order to legally do their own version of a popular song, and upload a video of it on youtube without breaking any laws and/or having it taken down?
Click to expand...

If the song is copyrighted, to not infringe on that copyright in the U.S., in my opinion, you must have permission from the copyright holder of the original. This addresses the 'without...having it taken down' part of your question. Whether it gets taken down or not is up to the rights holder.

I'm not sure about the illegal nature of copyright infringement should you fail to acquire permission. You certainly open yourself up to civil liability, however.

While I have a passing familiarity with the U.S. copyright code, I'm not an attorney. This should be obvious. :atoz:
 
#11
Dirk Diggler said:
Why not just do something original?
Click to expand...

Because I have, 100s of times, and felt like doing something different? Because I had an idea to redo a cover in a different style, I liked it, and I did it??? Because I have a fun idea for a video for it, would like to make the video, and put it up on youtube? And because I never before recorded any covers I had a visions for and am contemplating doinig perhaps several songs (or an entire album) like this?

Thanks for all the help. I guess I have to look into the copyright stuff. Always left the business side of things to others I worked with. Time for me to start learning.

The person who's song I redid is dead for a while. It's a song that was somewhat popular in the 70s.
 

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