Re: [linux-audio-user] Filling in some holes in my largely limited linux and audio knowledge

On Fri, Mar 18, 2005 at 03:18:31PM -0600, Reuben Martin wrote:
> Sampo Savolainen wrote:
> >Quoting thewade <pdman@email-addr-hidden>:
> >>Before you publish a track, either on CD or on the net, how do you
> >>insure someone else wont put their name on your track and take credit
> >>for it?
> >There is a quite low-tech much used technique for this. Make a demo of the
> >song, or the whole song on a CD/cassette/anything. Put it in an envelope
> >with a written, signed and timestamped letter explaining the contents (and
> >maybe a usage license like creative commons). Seal the envelope so that
> >opening it would break the seal. Then mail the envelope to yourself,
> >preferably via certified mail.
> >Last, and the most important step, is to not open the letter after you
> >receive it.
> >In case of someone stealing your song, open the letter in court, or with a
> >clerk, notary etc. present who then can prove that the package wasn't
> >opened
> >earlier and what the package contained and when the package was sealed.
> >This method is known in the popular music industry for having proof of when
> >you have made the song.
> >(just remember to get all the details right, I might have left something
> >important out)
> Just FYI, this will not stand up in court. This topic came up in my
> media law studies, and there are specific court cases where this
> technique has been thrown out.

In my reading of the LAD archives I happen to have just read almost
exactly the same conversation from when it occured in March of 2000.

> There's this cool little thing called copyright. I would recommend using
> it. Technically there is a common law copyright where everything is
> copyrighted as soon as you create it, and this DOES stand up in court.
> It does help to actually have a formal copyright though where you can
> reference an ID# for your work.

For my own work, I don't know how to manage this. The nature of the way
I work produces a lot of output that is largely snapshots of an ongoing,
evolutionary process. That is, for much of it there is no finished work.
I just can't see submitting every single, almost daily, .ogg file I
create to a copyright authority.

Not that I really think anyone is ever going to want to take the blame
for my noises. ;)

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