Major Artist "stole" a beat ?

Don't get it confused guys. The "right to copy" is only interesting as far as allowing someone.........."to copy" (make copies of/redistribute in some or other medium) your composition. The composition as such is your intellectual property (copyrights can be sold in the US (the only country in the world LOL@exploiting artists), the intellectual property can only be licensed in form of a copyright.

So having a Youtube channel and uploading your composition, setting the upload/channel to private, is a good step. Also creating an email account with your government name (John Smith@gmail.com) and sending the archived and locked (password) composition/session files to it can provide an additional digital "timestamp" and "proof of ownership" (as far as the time of creation vs. release by a third party, which stole your work/uses it without permission, goes).

In the end, registering it the "proper" way just ensures that everyone understands the channels/steps the composition went through before being released, but per se, doesn't change your rights on your own intellectual property.

Additional proof of intellectual property ownership is never a bad thing.
 
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Actually, there are additional rights (perhaps in this case it would be better to call them priveleges) that come with properly filing copyright paperwork on your intellectual property. These are all related to the situation where an actual lawsuit might occur, not the original intellectual property itself (such as the uncontested right to counter-sue for attorney's fees if you are involved in a copyright suit). This information is available in books like Passman's, in various places on the web, but most importantly at the Library of Congress Copyright website itself. Read the circulars there sometime, they have important information for those interested in intellectual property and US copyright law.

Again, I think most in-the-know would agree that the best, simplest way to prove your copyright is to file the copyright paperwork. But legally (technically) of course, a "copyright" exists as soon as the intellectual property is put into a fixed form.

GJ

---------- Post added at 07:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:02 AM ----------

PS-- Copyrights are generally "assigned" or leased. They can be sold, but that is strongly advised against. Remember Charlie Parker...

GJ
 
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Actually, there are additional rights (perhaps in this case it would be better to call them priveleges) that come with properly filing copyright paperwork on your intellectual property. These are all related to the situation where an actual lawsuit might occur, not the original intellectual property itself (such as the uncontested right to counter-sue for attorney's fees if you are involved in a copyright suit). This information is available in books like Passman's, in various places on the web, but most importantly at the Library of Congress Copyright website itself.

It's not always the case, that you will be able to get that "right". It's a "maybe", not "a must".

And yes, registering your intellectual property is the easiest way to ensure that all of the parties involved can easily check for things like authors/date of registration, etc...

As far as the "copyright" being created with the composition, that's only partially true. The term is confusing. Your intellectual property belongs to you, the moment you create it, that's true, but the "right to copy" can only be called as such after you've either created one copy of the master/an initial release (in which case you license the right to copy to the label/publisher or you perform the composition/broadcast it) or you hand over your master for copying. But it's just confusing, because of the term. It is, after all, just a registration of a "original composition" as far as intellectual property goes.
 
I did not read the rest of this thread so my 2 cents
1. I think it is called a DMCA use it to take down YT video and any website that has it posted. All you have to do is "Name of the Song" just like it show into google and you send that letter to every site you find that has your beat.
2. Get it copy written NOW do not wait
3. Get a lawyer ASAP

Good luck
 
@JeanLukPigheart--

That is incorrect. Read the information on Copyright available from the authority on Copyright in the United States, the Library of Congress. Then read Donald Passman's book, and you will have a good start on a better understanding of the issues. But do not pass off your opinion as fact when important issues like this are at stake, please.

To those needing information-- Do your own research, do not take what people say on Internet forums as fact without checking.

GJ
 
Wow, what an honor for a MAJOR artist to go an extra mile and steal your beat. What's the name of the song if you don't mind sharing?
 
What was the beat?

---------- Post added at 10:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 AM ----------

Also sometimes it's not the artists but the producer he selected the track from.
 
This is a pretty interesting thread, I want to follow this as well.
 
If I'm reading right... Alot of misinformation here.

You dug yourself in a hole on this one by giving a lease option.

That's why you gotta be careful about how you sell your material. The guy could've easily thrown you $20 for the beat "without awareness of the outcome" play dumb and stall you out in court because he knows you'd waste more money than it's worth fighting it.

Alot of details have been left out, so i can't say for sure, but unless you can prove that the artist has gone beyond his normal demographic and benefitted moreso from your track than ever in his career, you're talking about court/lawyer fees over a $250 lease? You will go broke fighting for your exclusive right. If anything, I'd try toi link with the artist for future work and try to get that song on an album(so that a new contract would get negotiated and you can sell that same "exclusive" for points ad a few grand upfront).

You have no case, you gave your beat away for $20. Even if his homeboy downloaded it and passed it on to him. The artist has no control over the success that followed him posting a youtube vid, and at most, he owes you $250 you're gonna spend $700 off tops to get. Lesson in selling yourself short.

No hate been there a hundred times. Just telling you as a freelance producer with cheap prices, from time to time people will take advantage of the deals you offer. That's why you should take the time to deal with every client face to face or keep it moving when stuff like this happens.

Also, being anonymous won't make much difference. Not saying I whine about the details of every situation I've been in, but you want your recognition, a good start is saying you produced the song in question. I'd be all over the place bragging about a song I produced with 3 million hits because of the other work I could get from it. That's alot more hustle than suing the artist.
 
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^^^His guidelines were already outlined.

Not one copy has been sold yet since no CD has been released. If his contract mentioned nothing of youtube hits, the guy using the beat has the right to post his song on youtube and get more hits than gangnam style.

And all you can do is get a lawyer and sue for what you think you're owed. In the end, if you get $10k, after lawyer fees and everything, you'll go home with like 6 and MORE THAN LIKELY NO CHANCE OF EVER WORKING IN MUSIC AGAIN. You get the plug pulled on a song on interscope with a 3M view following, no one on Universal will ever f**k with you again.

And as said before, you should be trying to reach out to this artist to do more work and get your song on an actual hard copy for retail sales so you can make the same money you'd end up getting from suing(at best) actually working with the guy and building a relationship.

Dudes be too quick to try to run for the money and think they're entitled. Don't fool yourself. No one got 3M view off just your beat. They built your brand in the process. You kinda owe them and could come out ahead if you know how to pimp it. Who's future looks brighter right now, Cheif Keef, or Young Chop's?

Exactly.
 
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