Copyright Aid

Can anyone comment on the following unusual situation regarding music copyright?


A singer records a cover/parody version of a traditional public domain Christmas song.

The singer does not claim copyright on the new cover/parody version. (I assume the lyrics are written down on paper.)

The new ...

Thanks Andy.

As always that's a superb reply! Perfect.

Cheers

Pete

Hi there

I've seen many different versions of 'I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly' over the past few years. (Kids books, music CDs etc)

As far as I can tell this piece of work is still under copyright:

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Written by Alan Mills, lyrics by Rose Bonne ...

Thanks again! Fantastic research. It certainly seems like it would be navigating a minefield of potential problems. I guess that's why very few try it!

Much appreciated.

Pete

Thanks Andy

Expert advice as always. Our Prime Minister spent his entire last term campaigning for TPP and President Trump duly flushed it down the loo. We have a new Prime Minister now who has no interest in re-heating TPP. Good to know it wouldn't be retrospective. Good to know a British citizen ...

Hi all

Ian Fleming died in 1964. I live in New Zealand and our copyright laws protect an author's work until 50 years after his/her death.

(25 years post-death for publisher's copyright.)

Arguably Fleming's novels are in the public domain in NZ. (Assuming they are only sampled and published in NZ ...

Cheers Andy.

While posting a thread on the music copyright forum a separate question popped into my mind - can you transform Public Domain material into copyright if you are not adding anything new to it? (Perhaps you are only rearranging the original PD content or shortening it.?)

Example: If Churchill's ...

Here's a bookend for anyone surfing this post in the future:

The 'unknown PD writer' mentioned the phrase 'Pick Up Sticks' in his/her lyrics.

The American term for this game is 'Jack Straws'. (Created by Parker Brothers 1888.)

Pick Up Sticks is a European game variant that was only imported into ...

Thanks!

Cheers Andy

That was superb research!

For me this confirms what I thought:


[Basis of Claim: New Matter: new arr. of preexisting song.
new arr.: Shari Lewis, 1933-, d.b.a. Lamb Chop Music.
Unknown PD writer]


I don't know if you remember the Lamb Chop hand puppet from the 70s/80s? I just watched ...

I guess, strictly speaking, the massively successful YouTube company 'Little Baby Bum' need to get copyright approval to do this version (Which is the truncated Barney version. Perhaps they have got clearance, or perhaps they have wrongly assumed its PD?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axPmoijvWKM

Hi Andy

Thanks for responding. Yes this one is a curious one. We are definitely missing a piece of the jigsaw puzzle here somewhere.

Here's what I've tracked down so far:

'When Johnny Comes Marching Home' is published under pseudonym of Louis Lambert 1863. The composer acknowledges it was ...

I've partly answered my own question:

"The Ants Go Marching" (1990) is written by:

Copyright with Lyrics © Emi Music Publishing.
Written by Robert D Singleton.
Lyrics licensed by LyricFind.

However:

"The Ants Go Marching One by One" is public domain.

This is very confusing. Can anyone ...

This song was based on 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home'. New lyrics by Robert D. Singleton. (No date when penned but perhaps 1980s?)

It appears the new lyrics are in the public domain?

Can anyone confirm this? And why that is the case? Maybe the writer did not seek copyright for the adapted ...