When is a song copyrighted
Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 5:23 am
Hi. Question on copyright law. Do you have to submit your song to the copyright office or is it copyrighted when you. Record it?
Thanks,Ron
Thanks,Ron
A song is copyright as soon as you put it in a tangible form.
The purpose of registration is to prove that you created the song on the registration date, in case someone else stole it and is making heaps of money with it.
"Under the present copyright law, which became effective January 1, 1978, a work
is automatically protected by copyright when it is created. A work is created
when it is “fixed” or embodied in a copy or phonorecord for the first time.
Neither registration in the Copyright Office nor publication is required for
copyright protection under the law. "
https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ50.pdf
Caveat, I am not a lawyer!
HTH