Klarinet Archive - Posting 000279.txt from 2010/06

From: Tim Roberts <timr@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Sheet music copyright
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:01:26 -0400

Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> A pirate production is a rather different matter, don't you think?

Is it? Why? The only difference is a matter of scale. The principle
is exactly the same.

> Remember that copyright (like vibrato :-P ) is not a 'yes/no' issue --
> it can be (and is) applied differently in different circumstances.

That's a little too glib. The reality is not quite that fuzzy. I'll
give you an example. Eleanor presented the scenario of a friend asking
to get a copy of a piece for an audition. She argued that this was
entirely OK, and indeed that it would be rude of her to refuse. This
case is not fuzzy -- she is quite wrong. That is a violation of
copyright. It is illegal. Now, is she likely to get sued? No, of
course not. However, the fact that you're unlikely to get caught does
NOT alter the illegality of an act. That's something that Eleanor has
to weigh for herself. Would she pocket a package of gum from a
convenience store if she knew the clerk couldn't see?

Now, if she LOANED the music to her friend, that's an entirely different
story. But when she makes a COPY, then she has broken the law.

--
Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

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