How to Copyright Non-Written Music

Contributor

By Joseph Nicholson
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (0 Ratings)

It's not necessary to register an original musical composition to have a copyright. It is, however, necessary to have the work registered in order to file a suit in federal court to enforce a copyright. For a piece of music, copyright can be granted for both the composition and for specific recorded performances, which are counted as two separate copyrights and must be filed separately. It is possible to register for a composition copyright with a recording instead of written notation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Complete registration form. The Application for Copyright Registration (Form CO) is eight pages long, but is fairly easy to understand. Basically, it asks for information about the work such as its publication format and the name of the author. Other parts of the application want information regarding appropriate contact persons for the copyright holder or their agency, and any other interested parties like distributors.
Step 2

Submit a specimen. Ever copyright application has to be accompanied by a copy of the original work, called the "specimen". For music, this can be either a transcription of the composition or a recording of a performance whether the copyright sought is for a composition or a particular performance.
Step 3

Submit and pay the filing fee. The registration form and the specimen must be submitted to the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress simultaneously with the filing fee or it will not be processed. The fee is subject to change, so check with the Copyright Office before your submission.

Tips & Warnings

The benefits to registering a copyright are amplified by doing so shortly after the composition or recording is completed. If a work is registered within 3 months of publication, a suit against infringement is allowed to claim not just damages from the infringement, but attorney's fees as well. A copyright lasts for the life of the artist plus 70 years, after which the work enters the public domain.
The so-called "poor man's copyright", where an artists mails himself a copy of their work to establish a creation date, does not qualify as copyright registration for purposes of enforcement.