Many music educators do not sufficiently understand the complicated system of U.S. copyright law or what constitutes "fair use," resulting in both illegal and overly conservative practices. Increasingly accessible recording and distribution technology has also led to common practices such as posting performances on YouTube, creating…

Discusses a recent lawsuit involving the violation of copyright laws by a music teacher who illegally reproduced sheet music. The purpose, scope, and limitations of copyright laws are explained in terms of teacher use of published materials. The penalties for copyright infringement are also described. (AM)

This discussion of copyright law on music focuses on the special problems of the band director who wishes to make a special arrangement or alteration of a copyrighted work. Guidelines and a sample form are provided for securing the publisher's permission to arrange a musical work. (SJL)

Making certain that permission is obtained for the use of copyrighted material is probably one of a teacher's most uncreative and unenjoyable tasks. In a follow-up to an article by Charles Gary in the April 1977 MEJ (EJ 165 273), this article presents practical applications of what the new copyright law means to music educators. (Editor/RK)

On October 19, 1976, President Ford signed the nation's first comprehensive revision of our copyright law since 1909. It became fully effective on January 1, 1978 and it is a law that will need to be understood by music educators both to improve their teaching and to protect themselves and their schools from incurring liability or being sued. This…

Discusses copyright ownership in the light of employment relationships, and cites actual court cases as examples. (AN)

Tenth in a series of articles on the legal protection of music materials. (JB)

The question of recording songs that obviously extol life styles and values that are of dubious worth is discussed. (CK)

Public Law 92-140 marks an important step forward in the history of copyright in the U.S., giving the copyright owner exclusive right to duplicate the sound recording in a tangible form that directly or indirectly captures the actual sounds fixed in the recording." (Author)

This review of law and schooling focuses on student rights and the tort liability of educators. Federal legislation on special education and copyright is briefly mentioned. A bibliography on these topics is appended. (SJL)

Various aspects of the copywright law are discussed. (CK)