Do I really need to copyright my songs?

To gain all of the protections of the copyright law, you need to copyright your music. In fact, music is automatically copyrighted the moment you create it in a tangible medium, like on paper or on audio recording. That’s right.

Who are the co-authors of a song?

Absent a written agreement otherwise, co-authors of a song each jointly own an equal undivided interest in the copyrights (i.e., 2 co-authors each own 50%, 3 co-authors each own 33.3%, and etc.).

Can a co-writer of a song own the copyright?

Even if you are a part of the same Performing Rights Organizations it’s always a good idea to make sure your co-writer registered the song properly. Additionally, be aware that with a recorded song, there are two separate copyrights at work: one for the actual song and one for the sound recording of the song.

What’s the difference between joint author and co-author?

Absent any agreement to the contrary, you and your co-writers are joint authors in the work. Joint authorship is a bit difficult to understand conceptually. It does not mean you and your co-author are 50/50 owners in the work. You and your co-authors are actually all 100% owners of the work.

Can a co-writer change the composition of a song?

Without the consent of the other song co-writer involved, one writer can’t simply remove another co-writer’s contribution and get a new collaborator to replace it, because the original song co-writer will still own an equal share of the original composition, and that composition cannot be changed without that owner’s consent.

Do you own the copyright of a joint work?

Co-authors own the work’s copyright jointly and equally, unless the authors make an agreement otherwise. Each joint author has the right to exercise any or all of the exclusive rights inherent in the joint work. Each author may:

What makes a joint work a joint author?

A joint work is a work prepared by two or more individuals, with the intention that their separate contributions be merged into a single work. A joint author can also be an organization or a corporation under the definition of ” work made for hire .”

Absent a written agreement otherwise, co-authors of a song each jointly own an equal undivided interest in the copyrights (i.e., 2 co-authors each own 50%, 3 co-authors each own 33.3%, and etc.).