Copyright Extension

[captainsalty]

hi guys,

can anybody explain in easy words why some recordings from 1963 (like most famously dylan's first record) fell into public domain in europe?

i do understand the story about having to issue recordings within 50 years, but the first dylan record has been released. was it not re-claimed, and so no 20 year extension ensured?

and then, what about out treasured "garage" bands? many acetates will become fair game, but will other recordings become public domain?

thanks for shedding light on this.

 

[MopTopMike]

In the USA:

Only musical works / songs composed / recorded in 1922 or earlier are in the public domain category.

Everything from 1923 and after is not, nor will it ever be in our lifetimes. The Sonny Bono copyright act increased protection for 95 additional years once the original term expired, unless the song was already in the public domain. This includes all works that were never officially registered for copyright.

Sound recordings are not in the public domain due to complicated federal and state laws.

One will always need permission from the copyright holder or be granted a license in order to reproduce and / or perform a musical work or sound recording for public consumption.

Copyright laws differ for other countries, still, most of them are quite uniform with regard to protection to the original owner / claimant.

 

[captainsalty]

thanks mike for a lowdown on the u.s. laws.

so, would it be illegal to purchase, say, the perfectly legal european new issue of the first dylan LP (loaded with bonus cuts that also slipped into public domain) in the usa? in globalized times, who would care? certainly not amazon, as they sell those records by the dozen.