What is the Role of Copyright Registration for Music Industry?

The Copyright Act came in the year 1957 and allows artistic and new creations to get registered so that they can be legally protected and any other person doesn’t claim that work. The act gave the new creators enthusiasm by giving them recognition to work on more creations. The music industry also needed copyright protection to protect the artist’s music composition, lyrics, and melody from being copied by others. If another person wants to use your creation to compose his creation through it, he must obtain permission from you. In copyright registration for music, there are two types- sound recording and composition. These attributes of the music can be copyrighted by the creator to gain control over his work.

What can be Copyrighted in Music?

For copyright registration for music, some components can be copyrighted, and those are –

• Lyrics of the song can be copyrighted since they are the ones that convey a message through the song. The lyrics won’t be copied after the copyright registration.
• The melody or the rhythm of the song is what makes it soulful to listen to. With the lyrics, the melody is needed to put magic in the song, and that is what you can protect by copyrighting it.
• You can also protect the recording of your songs under the act so that they are not used by others.
• The other Copyright Registration for Music Notation that can be given is the background instrumental tunes. It enhances the soulfulness of the composition, and hence, it can also be covered under the Copyright Act.

Benefits of Music Copyright Registration

The Benefits of Music Copyright Registration are –

• After the Copyright Registration for Music Notation, your music would be protected from any infringement by other people who might use it for their purpose.
• One of the other Benefits of Music Copyright Registration is that no artist, café, restaurant, pub, etc, can use your piece of art without getting authorization from your end. The owner of the intellectual property takes the royalty from the music.
• While giving authorization to other people, the owner can gain monetary advantage as well in the form of royalties. 
• Copyright infringement is a serious crime as per the Copyright Act of 1957. Hence, if someone does that, it can be held as a serious liability. Police action can be taken against the said infringer. The registration provides legal security, and a case can be filed in the court of law having jurisdiction over the matter. The plaintiff can take action and get compensation for the same.
• The protection under the act is provided for a very long period. The creator’s whole lifetime and an additional 60 years after his/ her death are protected by the Copyright Act for the creation. This way, the legal heirs also get the protection of the work, and they enjoy the same benefits that the creator enjoyed during his/ her lifetime.   

Process of Copyright Registration for Music Notation

The process of Copyright Registration for Music Notation requires a few simple steps: –

• Firstly, the applicant must conduct a thorough search to see if the music is already registered or not. The copyright registration for music will be approved only if the work is unique from others. The melody, rhythm, chores, lyrics, instrumental music, and recording should be unique and not copied from other copyrighted works.
• After the research and your music is unique, one must go through the online website for copyright registration. The application will require several documents, including the two copies of your original work, to be submitted. Once the registration is complete, the applicant will receive a Diary number through which the registration can be tracked. 
• If all the documents submitted to get copyright registration for music are correct, then the objection process will be open for 30 days for others to see if the work is already registered under the act and is infringing others’ rights over the musical work. If no objections are raised, then the application will be approved by the copyright office.
• In the case where someone objects to your work for copyright registration, then a hearing will take place where the applicant has to defend his/ her piece of music and prove that his work is unique. If the applicant succeeds in proving that, then the application for copyright registration will proceed. 
• After the successful hearing and subject to no further objections raised within the next 30 days, the copyright registration certificate will be granted to the applicant for his/ her work of music. This will give the applicant the right to intellectual property and the legal security for its protection.

Conclusion

The protection of music through copyright is very important since many music albums are released daily, and someone might have used your piece of creation. Getting the copyright registrations gets you legally protected from such infringements. You can take legal action against the person who has used your piece of creation in his/ her work. Copyright protection should be sought as soon as possible since anyone can use your work and get it protected under his/ her name. This would devoid you of the rights over that art, and you won’t be able to claim title over that music. Copyrighted work can give you royalties, which would be good for your finances.

Corpbiz can help individuals by protecting their rights and getting the Copyright Registration for Music Notation done on time. While registering for the copyright, you should always seek legal help, and that can be provided by the experienced people in our organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

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