Copyright News

[Chris Bates]

Theo wrote:

> What makes all this so fucking frustrating (I'm waitin' for ya,
> Tipper) is that if the band wants it's stuff protected, or wants
> income from it, why don't they release some 'official' printed music
> for us.  This is just like live bootlegs:  we'd buy the stuff if it
> were available.  It's like we're penalized for trying to learn the
> band's songs, out of respect and admiration for the band.  Like we're
> going to use TAB to figure out BOC songs, then make records of them
> ourselves, which the whole world will buy and deprive the artists of
> their product!  There aren't any books 'cause no one would take a
> chance publishing them.  All the worse, as now there's a glut of note-
> for-note books about bands like Poison or Warrant.  When BOC WAS
> popular, such books just didn't happen--now it's too late...

I've got to agree 100 per cent here. The whole issue is so confused
but what it seems to come down to is big business protecting it's
interests, not now but ahead of THEIR commercialisation of *the 'net*.
If they allow OLGA and other on-line sources now whilst access to them
is relatively restricted they will be setting a precedent. When they
finally manage to hook up middle-America (and I don't believe they give
a flying fuck about the rest of the planet) they will want to SELL
services like tab repositories to Joe and Josephine Six-Pack. Can't do
that if we're already giving it away can they.

In fact I think this argument is fallacious (prostitution exists despite
most people doing it for free :-). Seriously though if I take the time to
learn *Hurry on Sundown* then go and play it in a pub without paying
royalties I'm clearly breaking the law. If I *publish* the tab the same
applies, but what if as a result of either of these activities someone
goes out and buys a few HW albums? The band benefits, their record
company and publishers benefit. If I'd had to pay for the right to use
the copyright I wouldn't have bothered so that person wouldn't then be
buying HW albums.

As for swearing on the 'net.... despite what U.S. politicians believe,
the 'net is bigger than America and if they go on being stupid, insular
and backwards looking the rest of us will just have to route around you.
Maybe you could elect that idiot Buchannan (sp ?) then as the rest of
us go into the 21st Century the U.S. could go backwards into the 13th....


Chris