How to Copyright a Song : Avoid "Poor Mans" Copyright

[Happywelshchick7]

I have so many songs and live in the UK I might find a publishers in my town and ask about copy right and also if you have do the poor mans copy right you can always sign it :)

[mobhate]

so u have to have money to make money! thanks 4 nothing

[mortemdrummer]

thx bro

[jonfredric1]

great audio.......

[mortemdrummer]

@jonfredric1

recorded with a snare drum

[DavinaFaerie]

Hey guys, what are the best copyright companies in Australia (other then apra)? & can we go through another countries copyright company & it still be legal?

& can you guys give me some suggestions of the best ones?

Thanks heaps in advance... :0)

[Xiricon]

If you address the rear of the envelope instead of the front, (stamp covering the seal), when it's postmarked, the unbroken seal will prove the letter was sealed no later than that date. You could also include a document inside stating that the intellectual property belongs to you. Is there something I'm overlooking?

I would love to file everything I'm working on with the copyright office, but with numerous works in progress, $40 a pop seems a bit high. Especially knowing some are duds.

[rappersfriend]

Nowadays, you can just email something to yourself for a poor man's copyright. That gives you the time as well. Or you could do a combination of both! XD

[SongCreator71]

WOW, I was going to go that rought, LOL thanks for the advice

[Gpro15]

Official High Quality Beats By Our Hottest Producers Yet! High Quality Beats For $25 Or Less! *Guarentee Best Price Out Here!* Stop Wasting Your Time Surfing Through The Net! (WE HAVE NEW OFFICIAL BEATS UPLOADED EVERYDAY! YES! EVERYDAY!) FROM, DIRTYSOUTH,HIP-HOP,CLUB,R&B, AND MANY MORE!!!  Check Out The Link In My Channel!

[qweedrive]

COPYRIGHT.gov claims you have to have published the complete song. IF true, then how doe that apply when you are a producer making instrumentals? Does the song have to be mixed properly and mastered, or can you just send in the basic rough copy on a CD? Can international composers self-publish under their own publishing & then link with Ascap? Who collects the royalties if I become my own publisher?

[GCG113]

NICE Great advice!

[herFLYness79]

you can send a collection of songs...and just name each collection by Volumes like i did. 

[doctorc380]

@herFLYness79 Yes this is true. You don't have to copyright on a per song basis.

[deepelmdesciple]

I thought with the poor mans copyright, that the postmark has the date on it, so if the envelope isnt opened until a judge has it in his hands, its proof that you wrote the song first. Im not sure, but I thought that was the general idea. Anyway, IF you are really that poor, then you should do that UNTIL you have the money, BUT you should take his advice and get a real copyright.

[singboyy]

I DID THAT ONCE, THE POOR MAN COPYRIGHT.

[TimmyGal]

It used to be only $10!!!! :(

[poplicoladrusus]

I guess your point is, REGISTER YOUR SONG LEGALLY so you don't have to worry about uncomfortable issues with big companies! although, i have most of my songs registered like that and with BMI, 3 of my lyrics have been sold, but still i don't understand how this business works. What do I get? royalties if becomes a hit?!! but only if becomes a hit! I guess the best way to register is copyrighting all of the songs legally.

[SNOOPDAONEANDONLY]

finally i find the answer...

[xWiredTx]

how do i copyright my name?

[jambenzman]

is that $45 per song? where do i go to get it done?

[Finallythankyou]

@jambenzman No and it's 35 bucks.

[MrPartyboyj]

@Finallythankyou were is that at, tell me

[RevelationWarriors]

there also guilds, they are cheaper. write the song notes, then register it to a guild.

[manafest2010]

hey man im a guitarist and i made my song in garageband.

1. say all the guitar parts are original and i use the drum loops from garageband. can i still copyright it?

2. my song is not 100% complete, it only has guitar and drums. when i register do i have to use the very final copy of it or can i just register the music. say i dont have words to it but i want to add them later. can i still do that?

[JanetEsq]

Holy *&^%$

Contact a lawyer

[markuseraccount]

your right about the copyright but that example you gave was probably the worst ive ever heard

[medicinegone]

You mail two copies of the song(s) to yourself; one is to open if it happens to go to court, the other is for "just in case". The postmark on the package is what tells the the court when you mailed it (hence, how long it's been "copywritten" for) and the material inside the envelope is what you created. A business lawyer friend of mine told me a while back that this will stand up in court. You're saying it won't but not saying why it won't. Your car analogy isn't accurate.

[dvnobles]

@medicinegone If you send it certified mail, you have a little more ammunition in court...but it really depends on the judge, who is contesting your copyright and if you have a better lawyer than they do. Generally, the "poor man's copyright" is not a good idea. Just get it copyrighted through the copyright office to protect yourself better.

//dan

[croan08]

@medicinegone ive used it for years ! so far so good....even with beats place all the back up files on disk n mail em !

[redeyedol]

Hm, can YouTube count as Poor Man's Copyright? Like, whenever you upload a video (let's say the video contains your song), there is a date of when it was uploaded. You CANNOT change this date; the only thing you can do is delete the video, and reupload it, but then that's an entirely new video. Would a YouTube upload date count as Poor Man's Copyright?

[b1aflatoxin]

Wow, I like that idea! It's so simple, and anyone can see the timestamps!!! Heck, a lot of county courts in America have WiFi too! "Your Honor,

may I present exhibit (a) via YouTube." LOL

Thanks redeyedol.

-b- KCMO

[MicMikeandChico]

@b1aflatoxin Nah tht shit could work. because if you contact the youtube makers they can fax you a report that states when you posted your vids. Its not 100% PROOF but it mos def helps the case.

[the1janitor]

@redeyedol the problem with that is how are you going to prove that you didn't just grab someone else's youtube link. Even if you go into your own account, you could very well have password hacked someone or be using someone elses account that you happen to know the password too. It wouldn't hold up in court.

[deluxedookie]

remember people if its not on paper it dont exist!!!

[1remyvoodoo]

This guy just saved me 20 years of court room fees !

[NathalieKouamou]

Thanks for the info man...

[Newseason87]

This helped me out a lot. i read briefly on the "Poor Man" copyright, but not in depth. I did the "Poor Man" copyright only because im in the studio recording. but im getting ready to do the official.

[BritishL3G3NDz16]

We don't want more copywright, we want less... i don't understand why people have to suffer because of copywright. It spoils videos!!

[boliverful1]

Now, is that 45 bucks PER song? Or just a fee for an x amount that you want copyrighted at that time? Stupid question, I know, but I gotta know!

[onyx735]

thats the same question i ask

[Newseason87]

You can send more than one song for the $45.

[boliverful1]

I appreciate it. Thanks for getting back to me.

[zinzeta]

You can copyright multiple songs at once by listing them as a "collective work."

[wallyballoon]

For sure? How do I do that?

[boliverful1]

I appreciate it. That's good to know, thanks!

[realnewmoney]

What if u take your poorman's copyright to the currency exchange and get it notarized?

[cuttinp1]

nope, wont work.

[CBREEZE73]

Gotta question??? If your beat contains samples is there any way to protect the beat you've made? How do producers (up & coming with no administrative help or finances to clear samples) protect his beats with samples in it b4 he submits it to a label for consideration?

[Izakokomarixyz]

So where do I go to copyright my art? Is it really just $45????

[EAZYJONES]

I Have a Question. For example I have produced many tracks for different artists. The artists come with their lyrics I provides the Beat and do the recording. Do I copyright The song as mines if so how about the artist? were do they stand as far copyrighting goes

[youngceo120]

you should be copyrighting all ur beats before u let any1 spit on em, and then after that its up to you make a contract and specify what happens with it if the track still belongs to u like what dj khaled does

[inascensionmusic]

In that case, would you copyright it with the SR (sound recording) Form or both? How does Khaled do it?

[sexar69]

true