Hello. I am not sure if this is in the right place and I have looked in vain for an answer about what I have in question.
What I want to do is put vinyls on to disk for members of my Church (Their 33's, 45's, 78's, and perhaps cassettes.) I shall charge them for the materials and a little bit more which will go into church funds - that is the purpose of the job. I want to advertise this in the church magazine.
Is this OK to do with special regards to copyright?
Thanks. Dave.
Copyright
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eightyseventh
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kozikowski
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Re: Copyright
You don't really have a church, do you? You just want to see hundreds of uninformed people debate a polarizing hot-button issue.
No? I suppose the first thing I would do is not post the idea on a public bulletin board read by the RIAA, the Recording Industry watchdogs.
You were very firmly in the fuzzy-foggy zone until you started charging. I suppose you could get away with that if you donated your time and each person brought in their vinyl and their own blanks--and then independently donated to the church. This falls under the "fair protection copy" provision of the law, although the RIAA doesn't recognize any such thing.
Remember, this is the group that famously brought suit against grandmothers and small children.
Good luck.
Koz
No? I suppose the first thing I would do is not post the idea on a public bulletin board read by the RIAA, the Recording Industry watchdogs.
You were very firmly in the fuzzy-foggy zone until you started charging. I suppose you could get away with that if you donated your time and each person brought in their vinyl and their own blanks--and then independently donated to the church. This falls under the "fair protection copy" provision of the law, although the RIAA doesn't recognize any such thing.
Remember, this is the group that famously brought suit against grandmothers and small children.
Good luck.
Koz
Re: Copyright
As far as I know, it would be legal in the UK from a copyright point of view, as long as the person receiving the copy owns the original, and as long as only one copy is being made and it is not being played publicly. (I am assuming that this would still come under UK law "fair usage" terms, but the RIAA would certainly not like it and charging for the service may put you outside the terms of "fair usage" laws)
For a definitive answer you will probably need to contact the Copyright Office for your country of residence (For the US see http://www.copyright.gov/)
There may be other legal issues involved such as tax, but your church should have information about this as it likely to be the same as any other fund raising activity.
For a definitive answer you will probably need to contact the Copyright Office for your country of residence (For the US see http://www.copyright.gov/)
There may be other legal issues involved such as tax, but your church should have information about this as it likely to be the same as any other fund raising activity.
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
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eightyseventh
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Re: Copyright
Thanks for your very useful answers. Dave.
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hellosailor
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Re: Copyright
Dave, copyright laws vary by country. Most or all of the EU and western Europe, and the US, have signed the Berne Convention. Other countries vary.
Whether the material is copy right protected will depend on the source, the marking, and the age. The rule of thumb is that anything marked with a copyright and produced after WW1 is still covered by it, and you need permission form the copyright holder to perform any copying "for hire", i.e. where you are making a profit.
If the church members are presenting you with original media (the original records) which they own, you can transcribe them onto new media for the owner and the owner alone--as a backup copy. They have the right to the backup copies--but you don't have the right to profit form the copying. Not even to recover your costs. If you are making copies from media that belong to one person, and selling them to another--that's outright illegal. If you perform the backup copying for the owner of the media, as a favor and at no cost with no renumeration, that's probably legal.
Since you are doing this for a profit, if you should be found guilty of copyright violation it will typically be a felony conviction for commercial violation. In the US that would be a whopping huge penalty and enough jail time to seriously alter your life.
The fact that they are church members makes no difference, except perhaps to the damnation of their souls if a copyright theft is involved.
Most nations have their copyright laws posted online someplace, in the US it is at the Library of Congress or the Patent and Trademark office web sites, readily available and easily understood.
Whether the material is copy right protected will depend on the source, the marking, and the age. The rule of thumb is that anything marked with a copyright and produced after WW1 is still covered by it, and you need permission form the copyright holder to perform any copying "for hire", i.e. where you are making a profit.
If the church members are presenting you with original media (the original records) which they own, you can transcribe them onto new media for the owner and the owner alone--as a backup copy. They have the right to the backup copies--but you don't have the right to profit form the copying. Not even to recover your costs. If you are making copies from media that belong to one person, and selling them to another--that's outright illegal. If you perform the backup copying for the owner of the media, as a favor and at no cost with no renumeration, that's probably legal.
Since you are doing this for a profit, if you should be found guilty of copyright violation it will typically be a felony conviction for commercial violation. In the US that would be a whopping huge penalty and enough jail time to seriously alter your life.
The fact that they are church members makes no difference, except perhaps to the damnation of their souls if a copyright theft is involved.
Most nations have their copyright laws posted online someplace, in the US it is at the Library of Congress or the Patent and Trademark office web sites, readily available and easily understood.