Copyright and Music Publishing Flashcards

A sync license is required when a song is used in what?

Answer: A film, TV show, ad, or video game

Synchronization licenses cover pairing a composition with visual media like film, TV, ads, or games.

To use an existing master recording in a film, you also need which license besides a sync license?

Answer: A master use license

A master use license from the sound recording owner is required alongside the sync license for the composition.

What is a 'work made for hire' in a music context?

Answer: A work where the commissioning party is the legal author and copyright owner

Under work-made-for-hire, the hiring party is considered the author and owns the copyright, not the creator.

How long does copyright last for a work created by an individual after 1978 in the U.S.?

Answer: The life of the author plus 70 years

For works created by individuals after 1977, copyright lasts the author's life plus 70 years.

What does the termination right (35-year rule) let songwriters do?

Answer: Reclaim copyrights they transferred after a set period

U.S. law lets authors terminate a copyright grant and reclaim their rights roughly 35 years after the transfer.

Registering a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office before infringement allows you to seek what?

Answer: Statutory damages and attorney's fees

Timely registration enables recovery of statutory damages and attorney's fees in an infringement suit.

Copyright protection in a song attaches at what moment?

Answer: When it is fixed in a tangible medium

Copyright exists automatically once an original work is fixed in a tangible form, such as written down or recorded.