Sound Effects and Copyrights

I'd like to second Grog and Muse's statements. That was the point of this thread; to serve as a reference on how to go about doing this legally.
 
I'd like to second Grog and Muse's statements. That was the point of this thread; to serve as a reference on how to go about doing this legally.

Ian--

IANAL, but; If you purchase a sound effects library (on CD or whatever) from folks like the Hollywood Edge or the BBC, generally speaking you can use them for any sound design project so long as you don't repackage them and sell them as "Ian's Cool Sound Effects."

For example, in the liners for the Hollywood Edge Signature Series Peter Michael Sullivan disc (good thunder and rain sounds), it says "your use of these materials is restricted exclusively for the purpose of sound design and assembly of elements in an audio composition."

Once you've bought the effects, for all intents and purposes they're okay to use, royalty-free. I've had a few conversations with the folks at Hollywood Edge and Sound Ideas about this and it seems like the effects libraries mostly work this way.

I believe this legal protection extends to: if you go into a studio and use the effects library they've purchased, you're still covered. I'd imagine, but don't quote me here, that if your school library bought the BBC library and you're doing a school production, then you're covered.
 
Effects are one thing Joe, as that is the intent of most if not all sound effects companies. Actual music is a completely different story.
 
Perhaps I should re-title this thread. After reading the liner notes for the BBC CD's, I got the same impression that I could use them in a show, but not turn around and sell the actual sounds as if they were my own.

I wanted to get professionals to chime in in this thread as a reference for people using recorded material in their shows, but want to do it legally. Since this is a forum for people just starting out in the industry, I thought it would be helpful to have such a topic.
 
Effects are one thing Joe, as that is the intent of most if not all sound effects companies. Actual music is a completely different story.


Yeah, I understand that. However, unless I'm reading it wrong, the OP's post:




A topic that involves almost all of us. I'm sound designing a show right now where just about every scene is in a new location. The director says there's going to be minimal, if any scenery, so it's up to the LD and me to create these locations. I plan on going out and recording some of the sound effects I need myself, but I know I won't be able to record all of them.

Say I go to a site like Sounddogs.com, or get sounds from the library here at school (or the Chicago public library), how do the copyright laws apply to them if I wanted to use them for this show? For sounddogs, is it I pay for the file, then it's mine to use as I see fit, or are there strings attached?

Or am I over-thinking this for a college production?



...was about sound effects, not music. Music's been covered quite well in this thread already, but the sound effects question seemed as yet unresolved.
 
Music's been covered quite well in this thread already, but the sound effects question seemed as yet unresolved.
I'm not sure it can be easily resolved. You probably just have to check what rights are granted when you purchase a file or effects library. You may also have to look at what distribution or copying is allowed. Looking at some sound effects libraries, most provide sync rights but some specifically exclude performance rights. Most will apparently allow you to copy a file to your workstation for production but typically only one copy is allowed to exist, you usually can't have copies on multiple computers simultaneously or have it on a network accessible drive. Even within a single provider or site there apparently are sometimes different licenses depending on the original source. In some cases, theatrical use may require filling out and submitting a Cue Sheet and you may be subject to additional fees. Some effect libraries limit use to the original purchaser with the rights being non-transferable, if a school has an effects library that was purchased by a group or school within the institution, the use may even be limited to that group or school. There seems to be no standard, you almost have to look at each situation individually.
 
I'm not sure it can be easily resolved. You probably just have to check what rights are granted when you purchase a file or effects library. You may also have to look at what distribution or copying is allowed. Looking at some sound effects libraries, most provide sync rights but some specifically exclude performance rights. Most will apparently allow you to copy a file to your workstation for production but typically only one copy is allowed to exist, you usually can't have copies on multiple computers simultaneously or have it on a network accessible drive. Even within a single provider or site there apparently are sometimes different licenses depending on the original source. In some cases, theatrical use may require filling out and submitting a Cue Sheet and you may be subject to additional fees. Some effect libraries limit use to the original purchaser with the rights being non-transferable, if a school has an effects library that was purchased by a group or school within the institution, the use may even be limited to that group or school. There seems to be no standard, you almost have to look at each situation individually.


So perhaps it's not completely cut and dried, but at least we're talking about it now.

To the OP: what does the legal language on those BBC discs say?
 

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