Posted by Anonymous on 1/18/06 12:21pm
Msg #89172
Notarizing something that has been copy written
hi, i was wondering does any one know the answer to this question
i have a friend who is a muscian and wants to get there lyrics copy written....is this something that would need to be notarized?
thank you
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Reply by Art_MD on 1/18/06 12:27pm
Msg #89175
I'm assuming that you mean copyrighted.
I don't know if it needs to be notarized, but if there is a copy of the lyrics, a statement that he wrote them and when, and a jurat section, then you notarize it. What he is probably trying to do is to get something "official" to show a date.
There also may be a form that needs to be notarized when getting something copyrighted.
Hope this helps.
Art
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 12:42pm
Msg #89180
yes it does! thank you for the quick response and taking a few minutes of your time to help me out 
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Reply by Joshua Basil on 1/18/06 12:44pm
Msg #89181
I have a friend whom is in a band. A generic way to do it until you can make it official, however will hold up in court, is to have them mail the lyrics to themselves and don't ever open the package. It will then be dated by the USPS and will hold up in court. Whom ever tried to seal the lyrics would have to produce something preceding this date.
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Reply by cmd_NH on 1/18/06 12:55pm
Msg #89183
I worked for a musician, who also wrote lyrics and he always mailed every song he wrote to himself as Josh said, for the same reasons. Held up in court for him also. But that was a while ago and as laws change by the minute, and I am not an attorney, not sure if it still holds true.
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:12pm
Msg #89191
Great thank you to you all....actually one more question.....he didn't do this each time he wrote the song....so can he just mail all of them now on the same date? and what do i notarize at this point?
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Reply by SharonMN on 1/18/06 12:57pm
Msg #89184
Your friend needs to talk to an entertainment lawyer. I have occasionally been approached by people wanting patent/copyright advice. This comes from the public misperception that "notarizing something makes it official." Explain to your friend that you can notarize (and date) a statement that he drafts saying, "these are my song lyrics" or whatever, but all that proves is that he signed that statement on that date, NOT that the lyrics are his original copyrighted intellectual property. If what he's seeking is legal protection of his lyrics, he needs to check with someone who understands entertainment law for advice on how to proceed.
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:13pm
Msg #89192
Great, thanks so much Sharon for the advice...you have a great day
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Reply by CaliNotary on 1/18/06 12:58pm
Msg #89185
This is a myth. That would never hold up in court.
http://www.copyrightauthority.com/poor-mans-copyright/
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:39pm
Msg #89200
Great thank you, will be checking this web site out right away.
have a good day!
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:02pm
Msg #89187
so all he has to do is mail the lyrics to himself for now....i don't need to notarize anything if he does it that way?
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Reply by cmd_NH on 1/18/06 1:21pm
Msg #89195
As I said, things change. It was quite a few years ago when the musician I worked for used the mail to himself method. It did hold up in court for him at that time. But Cali has found a good source of info for you and Sharon too. Checking with an attorney that is familiar with the copywrite laws is a smart idea.
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:39pm
Msg #89201
again thank you guys for all the advice....
have a good day
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Reply by CaliNotary on 1/18/06 1:26pm
Msg #89197
If he's that concerned about legally protecting his work, he needs to spend a few bucks and register it with the US copyright office. There are plenty of resources online to do this, just put "how to copyright" into google.
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Reply by LaHoma Marchbanks on 1/18/06 1:45pm
Msg #89204
ok great thank you
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 1:44pm
Msg #89202
Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n/m
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Reply by CaliNotary on 1/18/06 1:57pm
Msg #89206
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n
A patent lawyer?
You do realize a patent and a copyright are not the same thing? There is no reason to pay lawyer's fees to copyright a song, that's just silly. It's a simple process.
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 2:32pm
Msg #89216
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n
thanks a bunch CaliNotary? what part of Cali are you in?
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Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/18/06 2:36pm
Msg #89217
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n
Entrepreneur.com will also give your friend more info. on the process. - Melissa
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Reply by Anonymous on 1/18/06 2:54pm
Msg #89227
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n
awesome! thanks a bunch!
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Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/18/06 2:59pm
Msg #89229
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n
No problem. I use entrepreneur.com for lots of great info. Have a great day!
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Reply by Martha Gall on 1/18/06 6:02pm
Msg #89282
Re: Get a patent lawyer !! Forget the mail and notarizing. n/m
An intellectual properties attorney has greater access to the forms and info. needed for this type of situation. Cheaper (safer) in the long run.
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Reply by Gerry_VT on 1/18/06 6:07pm
Msg #89283
As far as I know, one can mail oneself an empty, unsealed envelope, and it will arrive still unsealed, with a postmark on the front. One can then put whatever one wants to in the envelope and seal it. Some have claimed in this thread that sealing a song in an envelope and mailing it to oneself held up in court. Perhaps, or perhaps there was some other evidence in the case that really clinched it and the envelope didn't matter much one way or the other.
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