Music Copyright Laws

If you want to publish your music, you need to get it copyrighted. Copyrights usually last about 50 years, and you get them when you first publish your music. Having copyrights to your music makes it so people can only copy it for school uses and they can only copy a small amount of it. The current year for Public Domain music in the U.S. is 1922. The difference between public domain and proof of public domain is having a copyright.
-you CANNOT reproduce the music or lyrics
-you CANNOT distribute the music or lyrics either for free, for no profit, or for profit
-you CANNOT perform the music or lyrics in public
-you CANNOT play a recording of the music or lyrics in public--even if you own the CD
-you CANNOT make a derivative work or arrangement for public use in any form

Johnny Cash vs Gordon Jenkins

This particular case hit the courts, but was settled out of court. The original song in question was recorded on a concept album called Seven Dreams, the song in question was part of the ‘Second Dream: The Conductor”. When the lyrics to the two songs are compared side by side, there is no question that they are kissing cousins. Though Johnny Cash’s version is more fine tuned and shows more experienced talent, some of the lines are word for word and some of them have a word or two difference. It took fifteen years, from the release date of Johnny Cash’s version, for Gordon Jenkins, the original song. owner to sue. The 1968 out of court settlement approached the hundred thousand mark.