QUESTION
Can I use songs I buy off of iTunes/AndroidMarket/etc., make remixes of them and post them on youtube?
Asked on May 08th, 2013 on Patents - Utah
More details to this question:
The reason I choice Patent as the Category is because my question is about copyright laws. When it comes to music, djing, remixing, and everything in that category, what laws apply? For example, If I wanted to play a song as a DJ (unofficial, nothing big, just at a small party or something which I might get paid for doing) is it legal? If I bought the song off of iTunes or AndroidMarket, do I have rights to use the song? Furthermore, what about remixing? If I buy a song, can I use a music making program to remix it? Take it apart, put the music in a different order, add to it/remove from it? Can I get in trouble for doing anything like this for private use? Once again, what if I were to post it on YouTube (but not make any money from it)? What about if I posted it on YouTube(but did make money from it). In summary, what laws and rights do record companies have? Can I use songs I buy off of iTunes/AndroidMarket/etc? If I make remixes of songs, am I allowed to post them on to YouTube (both perspectives: If I make money off it/Don't make money off it). Thanks for your time.
1 ANSWER
Intellectual Property Attorney serving South Jordan, UT
at
Pearson Butler
Update Your Profile
The short answer, is that if you don't have the rights to use the music, then it is usually a violation of someone's rights for you to use it. When you buy it off iTunes, you are only getting limited rights defined by your agreement with iTunes. Anything outside the bounds of that agreement is probably not authorized and you can possibly get into trouble for it. From your question, it sounds like this comes up for you in a lot of situations. You might want to go research the law so you can get a good foundation on how it all works. Search the internet for "fair use" and "copyright rights" and that should get you a good start.
Answered on May 10th, 2013 at 10:54 AM