I was wondering if there is time limit for music where it's able to be used with infringing copyright? Books have something where the copyright/ownership expires after 70 years I believe, so classics are able to be re-written, etc. I was wondering if there was something like that for music? Like if I wanted to use Beethoven or something along those lines for music in my film.
copyright expiration for music?
- Thread starter stone_wolf
- Start date
Yes, copyright for musical compositions is the same as for any other work. All of Beethoven is in the public domain and may be used freely for any purpose...
...HOWEVER, a recording of Beethoven's music is most likely NOT in the public domain (though I'm sure it's cheaper to license than popular music). If you know a pianist, ask/hire them to perform/record the piece for you, then there is no issue.
...HOWEVER, a recording of Beethoven's music is most likely NOT in the public domain (though I'm sure it's cheaper to license than popular music). If you know a pianist, ask/hire them to perform/record the piece for you, then there is no issue.
I understand it's life plus 75 years in the US, or, for corporate copyright, it's 120 years after the first appearance. But you should get an opinion from an intellectual property lawyer.
Yah, copyright law has been modified & rewritten (by those with very vested interests) several times. As a result, different works are protected differently, and there's even big gray areas on some material where time periods overlap & the rules have changed.
Not all countries abide by the same copyright laws, either. So something still protected in the US may be public domain in some remote country. (There is a general treaty, which I've forgotten the name of, that the majority of countries abide to, though)
If you need to know about something specific, just ask. Someone may know the answer.
If you need to know the entire legal framework in a few sentences... forget about it.
Not all countries abide by the same copyright laws, either. So something still protected in the US may be public domain in some remote country. (There is a general treaty, which I've forgotten the name of, that the majority of countries abide to, though)
If you need to know about something specific, just ask. Someone may know the answer.
If you need to know the entire legal framework in a few sentences... forget about it.
Well, specifically moonlight sonata by beethoven. There seems to miles of copyright paperwork to have to read through just to find specific information and the laws are constantly changing as well. I'll definitely look into hiring a pianist to perform the piece. Thanks for the advice.
Moonlight Sonata -- my all-time fave! Used it in my 1999 feature. 
