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Copyright Basics for Barbershoppers

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Copyright laws exist to encourage and protect creativity and expression of ideas. In order to do this, Congress has granted certain exclusive rights. This, in a sense, is the only way to guarantee that if you create something, in this case a song, you are entitled to the benefits of your creation.

The revised United States copyright law, which went into effect on January 1, 1978, gives certain
exclusive rights to the copyright owner, who may be the writer of a song or someone who has
been assigned ownership, such as a publisher or an estate, through contractual agreements. These
rights are to:

PREPARE derivative works based upon the copyrighted work;
REPRODUCE the copyrighted work in copies or recordings;
DISTRIBUTE copies;
PERFORM the work publicly;
DISPLAY the work publicly.