I paid for and downloaded an MP3 instrumental karaoke track of a popular song. I wrote a parody of that song and I'm hoping to record it and make a music video to share on social media. Is this legal? I would not be selling or monetizing the finished song.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.5
Laplu wrote:
... and they said it was okay for commercial use.
They are wrong. Legally you need permission to reuse someone else's copyright material, typically given for a negotiated fee. Purchasing a Karaoke version does not come along with a licence for that. Of course if it is for your personal use and gets distributed among a few friends and acquaintances nothing is likely to happen. Should it go viral you could expect copyright strikes, demands for damages, etc. I'm not a lawyer.
You haven't said where in the world you are, and the rules vary by country, but here is one example of relevant advice: https://www.copyrightuser.org/understand/parody-pastiche/:
1. Permission should be sought when possible
A parody will not infringe copyright if the parodist has secured the permission of the rightsholder. Note that the author or artist is not always the rightsholder – it may be a publishing company or a music label. Seeking permission from these entities can be a costly and time-consuming process, and this may discourage small-scale parodists. However, with permission secured, you are free to parody the work within the bounds of the agreed licence, without risk of infringement.
tt2
Laplu wrote:
... and they said it was okay for commercial use.
They are wrong. Legally you need permission to reuse someone else's copyright material, typically given for a negotiated fee. Purchasing a Karaoke version does not come along with a licence for that. Of course if it is for your personal use and gets distributed among a few friends and acquaintances nothing is likely to happen. Should it go viral you could expect copyright strikes, demands for damages, etc. I'm not a lawyer.
You haven't said where in the world you are, and the rules vary by country, but here is one example of relevant advice: https://www.copyrightuser.org/understand/parody-pastiche/:
1. Permission should be sought when possible
A parody will not infringe copyright if the parodist has secured the permission of the rightsholder. Note that the author or artist is not always the rightsholder – it may be a publishing company or a music label. Seeking permission from these entities can be a costly and time-consuming process, and this may discourage small-scale parodists. However, with permission secured, you are free to parody the work within the bounds of the agreed licence, without risk of infringement.
tt2
You bought the rights to listen to the song in private. You would likely need to contact the existing rights holder to obtain permission for your parody, even if you are not monetizing it at this point. Seek legal advice. This is the wrong forum for that.
tt2
Thanks. I spoke with Apple customer service and they said it was okay for commercial use.
Is it legal to create a parody using an MP3 download?
