Re: Tacky Awards ( February 1998)

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

On 17 Feb 99,  Bob Nelson wrote:

> I thought that a song parody that's available for sale had to be
> approved by the original copyright holders (at least it may have
> required this before
> the Supreme Court decision on parodies)...while something merely
> played on the radio (but not for sale) didn't have to be.
 
There are some special rules regarding copyrighted music, involving 
compulsory licensing, but it's complicated and I'd have to look it up to 
be familiar with the details.  I think maybe you don't need permission to 
sing a song, but you have to pay royalties to ASCAP, BMI, or whoever 
for it.  And if you sing the song with different words, I suppose it 
works the same.


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 A.Joseph Ross, J.D.                                 617.367.0468
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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #309
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