What license are the remixes under?

[atomicthumbs]

I wasn't able to find info on this (I didn't look ver hard, though). Creative Commons licenses would be cool, but you'd have to ask all the remixers about it if they weren't already.

[zircon]

They are not under any license. They exist in a grey area of copyright, as they are derivative works based on copyrighted works without the consent of the original copyright holders. A fair use case can be made of course but it hasn't even come to court yet. Putting aside legal terms, it is *ethical* to ask ReMixers if you want to use their ReMix for something, but since we don't really own our ReMixes we can't license them for anything...

[Murmeli Walan]

I wasn't able to find info on this (I didn't look ver hard, though). Creative Commons licenses would be cool, but you'd have to ask all the remixers about it if they weren't already.

Hey, I know you. You're the papercrafter guy from the Digital Press forums, right? Either way, welcome.

Anyway, zircon's got it here. Most game companies are pretty cool with the game remix/cover band community (Nintendo of America especially. Bands like The Advantage and The Minibosses have been featured in Nintendo Power), but nobody's sued or sent a C&D to OCR yet.

[Black Mage]

Most game companies are pretty cool with the game remix/cover band community (Nintendo of America especially. Bands like The Advantage and The Minibosses have been featured in Nintendo Power), but nobody's sued or sent a C&D to OCR yet.

It's free advertising for the companies, composers, and publishers. I never would have thought to go out and buy a game OST or its related game before I found OCR. Helps them make money.

[thatjonguy]

Hello there everybody.

I just discovered this web site last week and I have been absolutely loving it. The music that you guys have been making is absolutely amazing. I tip my hat to all of you amazing remixers.

However, I had a question.

I am considering starting a video game podcast and I would like to use some of the remixes that are hosted on this site. Who owns the rights to these songs? I want to make sure I secure permission before using any of the songs, so I will definitely ask each remixer before I use his or her song. But in case I cannot get a hold of a remixer, i.e. someone who left the community, who holds the control over the remixes on this web site?

[SoloGamer]

I will definitely ask each remixer before I use his or her song. But in case I cannot get a hold of a remixer, i.e. someone who left the community, who holds the control over the remixes on this web site?

All compositions, arrangements, images, trademarks, and pudding snacks are copyright their respective owners
i.e. the remixer

Don't worry if you can't get a hold of a certain remixer. As long as you credit him (and maybe mention OCR) in the podcast, I doubt they'd mind.

[Liontamer]

i.e. the remixer

Don't worry if you can't get a hold of a certain remixer. As long as you credit him (and maybe mention OCR) in the podcast, I doubt they'd mind.
Original passages would be copyright of the arranger, but generally speaking, the ReMixes are all copyright of the copyright holders of the games. Don't wanna get into legal ambiguities? Mix something from a game where the copyright is expired. Like Zero Wing. Which we still don't have a single mix of.

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Legally? They're in a grey area. The remixers don't really own the rights to them, since they don't own the rights to the original song.

Just make sure you credit the mixer, and preferably mention OCR, and nobody will mind, most likely.

Original passages would be copyright of the arranger, but generally speaking, the ReMixes are all copyright of the copyright holders of the games. Don't wanna get into legal ambiguities? Mix something from a game where the copyright is expired. Like Zero Wing. Which we still don't have a single mix of.

I thought it took like 70 years for a copyright to expire?

[Liontamer]

I thought it took like 70 years for a copyright to expire?
That's not gonna apply to the companies that own the original music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_copyright_law#Duration_of_copyright

[tweex]

That's not gonna apply to the companies that own the original music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_copyright_law#Duration_of_copyright

I still don't see how Zero Wing is in the public domain :(. It was released in 89. Renewals were required then, but only after its 28th year. The renewal process was ammended in 92.

I'm sure this was a project for "hire" as it mentions in the article (for a corporation), essentially meaning that the copyright is extended past the 70 years to 120.

Was the wiki link a copy of the "old" rules or is it current?

If it's current, explain to me what I must be missing from it, which I'm sure I am :).

[Liontamer]

I still don't see how Zero Wing is in the public domain :(. It was released in 89. Renewals were required then, but only after its 28th year. The renewal process was ammended in 92.

My bad. I should have said, as far as I understand it, that there's no one actually around to enforce their copyright.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toaplan

[tweex]

Ah. Now I understand :). God, thought I was having a blonde moment there.

[Pyrion]

I would think that technically-speaking, nobody owns the rights to a derivative work, and remixes certainly qualify as derivative works.

[thatjonguy]

Thanks for the help guys.

I know that in writing, you can legally quote other people just as long as you have the proper citation (it works awesomely on the internet since you can simply hyperlink the actual article) but I was unsure whether it was legal for music.

I really don't think I'd be in any trouble anyway since I do not plan to make any money on this podcast (purely for my portfolio). But I figured it would not hurt to ask.

Anyway, thanks for your help guys. Keep up the great work.