posted
Fugu, you are covered performing songs in your home or a friend's home non-commercially. But performing at an open mic in a public or commercial venue is a violation unless the venue has a license.
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posted
There's no universal coverage on performance in homes, though its unlikely anyone would pursue such a violation.
Holding a small movie showing (say, 20 people, almost all friends) on a projection screen in your backyard would be a violation, though.
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posted
Hmm, maybe it was a state law. But I know that I was told that singing songs at home with or without friends was not a violation.
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quote: Holding a small movie showing (say, 20 people, almost all friends) on a projection screen in your backyard would be a violation, though.
It might be, but I would like everyone to note that this was suggested as a fun party idea in two different parenting magazines last year.
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posted
Nothing to do with a lack of roof, same screening inside would be problematic.
There are no hard and fast rules, but usually once you get beyond what would typically be considered "a few people sitting around" watching tv or whatever, when it becomes a "showing", is when it starts becoming problematic.
And that a magazine recommends it means very little, most people, magazine writers and editors included, know very little about copyright Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Yes, singing songs at homes by yourself or with a few friends is fine. They key word is few. When it starts to be a dedicated activity of some sort, such as when you start pulling a larger group together for "performances" or the like, even if its still just for fun, a license is (technically) needed.
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posted
Hell, they installed a home movie theatre for a family, so they could have extended movie nights in their back yard, on Extreme Home Makeover, not that long ago.... Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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quote:Hmm, maybe it was a state law. But I know that I was told that singing songs at home with or without friends was not a violation.
State law can't really effect this - fair use and copyright are federally defined, and any state intrusion on either would be reducing someone's federally granted right.
A "few" friends is not a problem. Here's the statutory language:
quote:To perform or display a work "publicly" means-- (1) to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered; or (2) to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance or display of the work to a place specified by clause (1) or to the public, by means of any device or process, whether the members of the public capable of receiving the performance or display receive it in the same place or in separate places and at the same time or at different times.
posted
Yep. But that's why 1923 is about the only definite milestone we have. I'm sure some works were created by someone who died before 1930, but it's hard to figure that out. So 1923 is the safe point.
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