WHAT IF SOMEONE STEALS YOUR SONGS

ATABurn · Post by **ATABurn** » Sunday Feb 21, 2010

I play bass for the band ATAB i know were pretty unknown to most of the scene but i need some help.. we had some songs up on our myspace that Brad from lowkey audio had recorded for us last summer and just yesterday we found a band from the same town as us (Nanty glo) and had used excact riffs from one of our songs youd think it was no big deal everybody copies a riff here and there but there song copied ours to the T... Their Verse was our verse... Their Chorus was our Chorus... and we were al pretty upset and after arguing with them about it for awhile we finally got them to take it down... they argued even after the guitarist admitted to ours he had ripped off our song... and i was wondering if this has happened to anybody else on here... and if we really have the right to be angry about them copying our verses and choruses... i wish they still had the song up so everyone could here how bad they ripped us off... The Band by the way is Blessed are the Dead

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Sunday Feb 21, 2010

That's why if you're serious about your music pay the money to get it copywritten. I'd kinda feel flattered after I got them to kill their version but I hear of this kinda thing happening sometimes. Even people stealing the ACTUAL song and posting it on their site which is funny but turdish. Nothing you can really do about it but it's your work and you have the right to be angry.

Flaw · Post by **Flaw** » Sunday Feb 21, 2010

Well man this isn't the first time something like this has happen. I know personally I'll go see a band one night and the next day ill be messing around on my guitar thinking to myself "were have i heard that before" it would be a riff from the band i heard the night before. So i guess its more of a compliment then anything, it just sucks that they argued about it with you.

But Speaking of ripping songs off, this one got my blood a steam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGKyPP7gQg

DrumAndDestroy · Post by **DrumAndDestroy** » Sunday Feb 21, 2010

Flaw wrote:Well man this isn't the first time something like this has happen. I know personally I'll go see a band one night and the next day ill be messing around on my guitar thinking to myself "were have i heard that before" it would be a riff from the band i heard the night before. So i guess its more of a compliment then anything, it just sucks that they argued about it with you.

But Speaking of ripping songs off, this one got my blood a steam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlGKyPP7gQg

hey pat...anti-flag fucking sucks.

ataburn...do these guys have beef with your band or something? i know many bands do things like that as an ode to another band. or sometimes as a slam on another band. i don't know. it would be interesting to hear both bands songs.

J Michaels · Post by **J Michaels** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

whorrorculture wrote:That's why if you're serious about your music pay the money to get it copywritten.

This. It's the only protection you have.

thebattle · Post by **thebattle** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

you could of always just mailed your demo to yourself im preety sure you could do that. As long as it has a date on it im sure that would have held up but yah didn't but atleast he admitted it and took it down.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

That was called a poor mans copyright and most likely won't hold up in court.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_man's_copyright

whitedevilone · Post by **whitedevilone** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

Seems as if they've stolen they're name from a Megadeth tune as well.Ah man don't sweat it....just writer better tunes that they can't play.EVERYBODY nicks SOMEBODY along the line.Rock on!

Post by **Ron** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

Copyrights are automatically granted when you write a song, registering is only to have 100% proof that it is your song. Poor man copyrights can hold up in court, but the proof had better be solid.

Unless you are willing to spend the money to go to court over it, it's all a moot point. Damages that would be awarded in court would be limited to the amount of money they made off of the song (probably zero) and possibly court costs.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Monday Feb 22, 2010

Songs with lyrics are pretty cut and dry as far as copyright, but riffs?

You will have a hard time defending a copyright on rock musical passages without associated lyrics.

Unholy · Post by **Unholy** » Tuesday Apr 06, 2010

there's only so many notes on a guitar, and even a piano, so at times you will come across music that sounds similar to others. It might not always mean someone was being spiteful, and if you're a fairly unknown band, how is another group supposed to know the music you've written if they've never heard it.