What exactly is the Copyright here?

What are the copyright laws around here? Can I take peices of other peoples work and work it so that it is completely diffent and use it for myself? Strickly speaking, what exactly are the copyright laws holding down us programmers?

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Sleep?! Oh yah... I did that last week.

It's very difficult to copyright actual code, which is why virtually any program you buy has a clause in the license that forbids you from decompiling, disassembling or reverse engineering in any way. That way, if they find strings of their code in your program, they can do you for breaking the license agreement.

Artwork is completely protected by copyright. This includes photographs and the use of an image as an underlying image. The same is true for music.

Text is protected under the same laws as other text. You may quote, providing you name the source, and your quotes may not be more than a certain length. You may also copyy up to 30% of a single article (not exceeding a word limit which I forget) for the purpose of private study or fair criticism.

Strangely, there is no copyright on ideas, sound-alikes or look-alikes, although you could be sued (but I doubt by anyone around here) for breach of a proprietary trade-mark. This means you could release a plug-in which followed exactly the plot of another well-known game, used similar looking ships and in every way was 'almost' the real thing.

But would you want to? Goodness knows, writing EV/O plug-ins is hard enough without losing the fun of originality.

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M A R T I N • T U R N E R

Well, let's say that you find a sound within a song that you really like. You clip out that one part and then mix it in with the other parts of your own music. Is that an infringment on the original creator's work? Let's say, as well, that you overlapped the sound with many other sounds and made it so that the music sounded (somewhat) the same to the original artists music. It wasn't the same (for one thing, you put it together). Is this a violation? If I put it out (not for profit), would that go against copyright?

I'm just trying to get into specifics here Martin (by the way, thanks for answering my topic.)

Post Script: Could you please send me your e-mail address at chipenterprise@yahoo.com ? I'd like to ask you some less public question (concerning your plug and such).

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Sleep?! Oh yah... I did that last week.

Quote

Zeta wrote:
Post Script:

It's Post Scriptum. Post Script is what's replacing Quickdraw in MacOS X.

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(url="http://"http://www.blackrockmac.com/ajm/sig.html")~AM~(/url)

"Je deteste Wyndoze!"
-Me.

Join #darksouls.mac on SorceryNet!

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Andrew M wrote:
**It's _ Post Scriptum_. Post Script is what's replacing Quickdraw in MacOS X.
**

Actually, it's postscript (one word), derived from the Latin postscriptum (one word), past participle of postscribere : to write after. But never mind that--were you serious about QuickDraw?

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PlanetPhil
the tuff do what?

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PlanetPhil wrote:
But never mind that--were you serious about QuickDraw?

Yep, I've been to the OS X website. 🙂

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(url="http://"http://www.blackrockmac.com/ajm/sig.html")~AM~(/url)

"Je deteste Wyndoze!"
-Me.

Join #darksouls.mac on SorceryNet!

Quote

Zeta wrote:
**Well, let's say that you find a sound within a song that you really like. You clip out that one part and then mix it in with the other parts of your own music. Is that an infringment on the original creator's work? Let's say, as well, that you overlapped the sound with many other sounds and made it so that the music sounded (somewhat) the same to the original artists music. It wasn't the same (for one thing, you put it together). Is this a violation? If I put it out (not for profit), would that go against copyright?

I'm just trying to get into specifics here Martin (by the way, thanks for answering my topic.)

Post Script: Could you please send me your e-mail address at chipenterprise@yahoo.com ? I'd like to ask you some less public question (concerning your plug and such).

You can get my email by clicking one of the ikons above.

Sampling isn't an infringement of copyright if the section is small enough. I think a quote of 4 bars of music is usually allowed, but I don't have the details to hand. If the quote is small enough, you don't even have to mess about with it.

**

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M A R T I N • T U R N E R

Plus, how likely is it that anybody is going to call you out on it?

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"Fine! I'll go play with myself! I'LL PLAY WITH MYSELF ALL NIGHT LONG!!" Cartman

My thoughts exactly, but I don't want to go breaking the law or anything. I hope it's not an enforced law (you know, federal crime... pay $2000 or else).

P.S.
Drew, could you change your quote? It's not exactly the greatest one that you would want to be showing people. (same goes for onyx if he's reading this, just a request).

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Sleep?! Oh yah... I did that last week.

How's this? shakes his fist at lack of graphic sigs

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Out like a fat kid in kickball.

Ok guys. What in the world is a sig?

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Manager: Someone who makes nonsense sound reasonable.

Quote

Zeta wrote:
**Ok guys. What in the world is a sig?
**

Just the old board term for signature.

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Micah L , (url="http://"mailto:mjlanier@home.com")mailto:mjlanier@home.com(/url)mjlanier@home.com

Yeah, I know the exact music I'd want to use for the intro to my plug, it works perfectly. Sadly, I don't want to infringe on copyrights. I know I wouldn't get caught, or even sued, but I just can't see myself doing it, especialy since its a gospel/rock band. 🙂

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Dan! The food's gone!

(This message has been edited by Thursday (edited 03-16-2000).)

Which band?

Why not just write to them and ask for permission. That's all you need.

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M A R T I N • T U R N E R

Either OC Supertones or Audio Adrenaline. I'm still trying to decide.

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Dan! The food's gone!