The use of music on the Internet must be authorised by the copyright owner in the same way as any other distribution method. Unauthorised copying is a "restricted act" and will constitute infringement if "substantial". There is considerable confusion surrounding the use of copyright materials on the Internet, even by experienced industry professionals. Any use of copyright works on a web site should be licensed (authorised) by the copyright owner.
Many people say, "The rule is you can use 30 seconds for free". THIS IS WRONG.
The Collection Societies advise that all use however small should be cleared. This is frequently not done and it is likely that copyright infringement litigation (when people go to court) will increase as more unauthorised material is freely used on the Internet. Some copyright owners are taking this issue more seriously than others.
Example
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On 29th October 1997, Oasis issued an email to all "webmasters of Oasis fan pages" warning all concerned that they would give their fans 30 days to remove unauthorised Oasis sounds, video files, photographs and lyrics from their web sites otherwise legal action would be taken against them. |
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