Top 8. What is “copyright” and what does that mean for me?
Copyright, along with other intellectual property rights, is the basic legal principle that underpins all creative works and is a fundamental right of all artists. Whenever any original musical sound is recorded, it is automatically protected by copyright. The aim of copyright is to foster creative works by creating a vibrant and dynamic climate for artists and creators to work in and to prevent unauthorized copying of original works. It guarantees that the integrity of their work is protected and ensures that the copyright holder is the prime beneficiary of any commercial exploitation of the work. Copyright protection gives the copyright holder the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, distribute, perform, broadcast, translate or adapt their work and to have the exclusive right to license others to do so – for a fixed period of time. This period varies from country to country, but for example in the case of recorded music, in Europe copyright lasts for 50 years and in the USA f
