Music copyright/fake books

[Mikey D]

Ok, so the new real books pay for the licensing as they included melodies, lyrics and songs that have a copyright applied to them. The old ones didn't, so they are illegal. So what about the Pocket Changes. As it is only the chords and title, it is meant to be legal. As you can't copyright a set of changes or songtitle. supposedly. Not even when they are used together?

So do the pocket changes pay licensing fees, or do they just get away with not paying because they haven't broke any copyright law.

I'm not overly confused about this, but there doesn't seem to be an "official" line on this on any copyright site.

So could I just release, for example, a book called "Abbey Road Changes" listing chords with titles of music by a popular scouse beat combo, without paying any fees to anyone?

Who can i contact to get an official response on this?

[The Funk]

[quote name='Mikey D' post='254405' date='Aug 4 2008, 02:01 PM']So could I just release, for example, a book called "Abbey Road Changes" listing chords with titles of music by a popular scouse beat combo, without paying any fees to anyone?

Who can i contact to get an official response on this?[/quote]

I'm sure once you come out with your book and Apple hear about it, the judge will give you an official response.

But the truth is that you can't copyright a song title (hence all those sh*te movies based on song titles) and you can't copyright chord changes. All the old jazz greats would have been royally f***ed if chord changes were copyright-protected: geniuses as so many of them were, nonetheless they still only knew one song between them.

[thepurpleblob]

[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5305520.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/5305520.stm[/url]

It's the usual, when the guys with the expensive lawyers go after you are you prepared to make a stand and (possibly) loose your house? The right and wrongs are almost irrelevent. It's just business!!