Digging up the Past, but not necessarilly forgotten. - 1 views

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  #1 Chen Guo Lim on 26 Aug 09

   

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYoexSAInQY
  
  Firstly, let me apologise for the exclusivity of the language. I tried looking for an English song but could not recall one.
  
  In any case, when the video reaches the chorus, I am sure everyone will recognize the melody being adapted from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
  
  Standard copyright laws states that a work will be protected up to 70 years after the author's death, which means for this case, the copyright for this piece would have expired in 1963.
  
  Along with other adaptations of old classical pieces, is even ethical for present day composers to fish melodies from these music, just to create some new ones?
  
  Shouldn't we acknowledge these composers for their compositions, before lifting phrases to be rearranged into a pop song?
  
  Then again, they are long gone, how do we then justify the copyrights?
  
  And considering for some of these songs, drastic changes have been made, but still recognisable, so how have they infringed on intellectual property rights, assuming it still applies?

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYoexSAInQY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYoexSAInQY</a> <br /> <br /> Firstly, let me apologise for the exclusivity of the language. I tried looking for an English song but could not recall one. <br /> <br /> In any case, when the video reaches the chorus, I am sure everyone will recognize the melody being adapted from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. <br /> <br /> Standard copyright laws states that a work will be protected up to 70 years after the author's death, which means for this case, the copyright for this piece would have expired in 1963. <br /> <br /> Along with other adaptations of old classical pieces, is even ethical for present day composers to fish melodies from these music, just to create some new ones? <br /> <br /> Shouldn't we acknowledge these composers for their compositions, before lifting phrases to be rearranged into a pop song? <br /> <br /> Then again, they are long gone, how do we then justify the copyrights? <br /> <br /> And considering for some of these songs, drastic changes have been made, but still recognisable, so how have they infringed on intellectual property rights, assuming it still applies?</div>

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