Few people know this, but you could go to Jail for a very very long time, and be fined for tens of thousands of dollars for using someone else's copyrighted work. EVERY count of copyright violation inside the United States, if convicted, can be sentenced with a $10,000 fine and/or one year in jail.

Just remember. If you use artwork, use your own, or make damn sure that you've got permission to use it for the purpose that you intend to use it. If you get permission to use it for personal or non-commercial use, and you put it into a game you're selling, you can still go to jail.

The same holds true for ANYTHING that can be copyrighted. So remember not to use images or music you found off of the internet. It's a very serious crime, and the penalties can be huge.

------------------
This is a classic mikee argument: 1) Make an outlandish, inflamatory statement 2) Backpeddle from it 3) Throw up some straw men 4) Nitpick to divert attention from the real argument at hand
—Andrew

I have all the copyright litigation sittong on my comp somewhere, but I haven't taken the time to sift through it all to find the answer to these questions:

I'm wondering about the use of classical music pieces. I assume that the performance/recording of such a piece would be protected the same way as a any pop song you hear on the radio, but I'm not sure.

Also, I've heard that there's some kind of provision in the law that says if you change something like more than 80% of an original piece, it's considered an original work by you. Is this true? If so, how would one measure whether they've reached the magic numer or not?

Not expecting much in the way on answers, but you never know. One of the members here could be a lawyer

------------------
--
Mauglir

Quote

Originally posted by Mauglir:
I'm wondering about the use of classical music pieces. I assume that the performance/recording of such a piece would be protected the same way as a any pop song you hear on the radio, but I'm not sure.

It works like this: There is a copyright holder for the song, and a copyright holder for the performance. In the case of classical recordings, you would have to worry about the copyright for the performance; unless the composer died recently enough that their family/estate still maintains rights to the song.

If you punch a Bach song into a Midi sequencer and use that, you should be fine.

------------------
People who claim the sky is falling obviously aren't aware the earth is falling, too.
--
"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" --Benjamin Franklin.

It's a good think classical music r0x in RPGs!
/me plays Bach — Togatta and Fugue at full volume

This coming spring, I will be taking a college course on ethics and legalities relating to multimedia. Judging by the instructor, I'll probably learn all about how you can and can not use music :D.

------------------
This is a classic mikee argument: 1) Make an outlandish, inflamatory statement 2) Backpeddle from it 3) Throw up some straw men 4) Nitpick to divert attention from the real argument at hand
—Andrew