Using video game music/sound bites. (Is it illegal?)

chrisbanks

chrisbanks

New member
There's a couple of issues I need some help with. I'd really appreciate any professional insight to clarify what exactly is legal/illegal.

1. Recreating (not sampling) video game music. I'm not directly sampling the original music, but recreating the composition note by note with my own instruments. I suspect this is illegal, but what if I recreate it with a certain twist? Like say if I changed the last two chords two be different enough so that it's not the exact composition.

2. Using sound bites of video game sound effects. For instance, if I were to use the Yoshi sound for a riser effect, or Guile's "Sonic Boom!" for a vox chant. Is this legal, or still illegal? What if I chopped certain pieces of the sound bite, like say a Super Mario fireball and used it as drum parts to create a shaker pattern? Still illegal?
 
All sampling is considered illegal unless given permission from the copyright owner
There's no magic number for number of notes before it becomes plagiarism. If intent is shown, it could be considered infringement.
Copyright lasts for 70 years from the end of the year in which the recording was first published.
 
Oh, okay. I asked someone about it, and they pretty much told me what you just said. I guess the music just needs to get cleared, regardless of whether it's a sample or recreation. Thanks, man.
 
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