COPYRIGHTS & WRONGS...A Guide to protecting your music....6

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The legal duration of a copyright has changed over the past century. Calculations for copyrights registered before 1978 are confusing, so I'll focus on the present here. Copyrights registered after January 1, 1978, last the life of the composer plus 70 years. The composer can pass a copyuright along to his or her heirs or will it to a third party. Subsequent owners can do the same.

HIRE UP

If you are commissioned to create a musical work or recording, the rules are slightly different. Be sure to have the requirements of the job outlined before you start so thet there are no surprises later. If, say, an advertising agency hires you to write a jingle, the companyt will likely have you sign a work-for-hire agreement stating that it owns the exclusive rights to the work you create. However, some people, such as film producers, may let you keep all or part of your copyright, allowing you to exploit the work later and benefit from the licensing and performance income.

Get the terms in writing while you're negotiating your fees so you can charge accordingly. In the case of a work-for-hire, the copyright duration lasts 120 years from the works creation or 95 years from its publication, whichever ends first.


More tomorrow...the final publication of this series. Thanks for all the great emails.