Hi all!

I was wondering...say some other artist had or got a hold of songs from the vault, whether it be songs we have never heard or the "unlreleased released" stuff we already have...are these songs protected still under copyright laws etc?

Also, I hope that once the estate decides to release some of the vault that some of the songs are not sold off to other artist....I really really would despise that and would we ever even know?

Yes of course they are. It sounds like you are confusing intellectual property and publishing.

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Please Google those definitions as it will save me writing an essay.

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AlexaDeParis7 said:

laurarichardson said:

darkroman said:

Yes of course they are. It sounds like you are confusing intellectual property and publishing.

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Please Google those definitions as it will save me writing an essay.

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just a thought to your point....if they are copyrighted... then should be record of what really and how much is in the vault? Right? So the mystery of what's in there should be solved. In short of jam session/live shows/unfinished songs...

I know from the ASCAP database that many songs weren't published, including some that were officially released on occasions!

As for copyrighting that would be at the Library of Congress, right? Obviously not all were copyrighted eitheror we'd have a comprehensive list of every song ever composed/recorded by P, which we don't.

However IDK how it is in the US but in France the mere act of creating the work automatically gives you ownership over it, without any need for filing for copyright or anything, so unless someone contests Prince being the author of a particular song here and there, his catazlogue is safe.

It might be a bit tricky with some of the recordings that have samples on them. I have hard time seeing he went through the formal process of clearing the samples unless he was going to actually put the songs out. Same for tracks that "borrow" heavily from other artists (like "Cosmic Day", which is pretty much an interpolation, or even a "ripoff", of a George Harrison song).

I also wonder if some of the songs he wrote with, say, Wendy & Lisa could be contested later in the court and the copyright could be partially given to them?

novabrkr said:

It might be a bit tricky with some of the recordings that have samples on them. I have hard time seeing he went through the formal process of clearing the samples unless he was going to actually put the songs out. Same for tracks that "borrow" heavily from other artists (like "Cosmic Day", which is pretty much an interpolation, or even a "ripoff", of a George Harrison song).

I also wonder if some of the songs he wrote with, say, Wendy & Lisa could be contested later in the court and the copyright could be partially given to them?

Samples and interpolations can easily be licenced later, it's no big deal.

As for co-writing credits it's interesting to see that no one has ever challenged P so far despite a few cases where former collaborators have publicly said they'd been ripped-off (very few cases, mind you, contrarily to what some people here will try to make you believe). Will people be more willing to do so with the estate? Time will tell.

AlexaDeParis7 said:

Hi all!

I was wondering...say some other artist had or got a hold of songs from the vault, whether it be songs we have never heard or the "unlreleased released" stuff we already have...are these songs protected still under copyright laws etc?

Also, I hope that once the estate decides to release some of the vault that some of the songs are not sold off to other artist....I really really would despise that and would we ever even know?

.

Copyright is automatic. As soon as a work is created and exists in some form other than a thought in a person's head, the creator of that work owns the copyright. The creator is the owner of that work and therefore owns the copyright. Official registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is optional, so even if a specific song hadn't ever been formally submitted, Prince would still own the copyright.