A Guide Through the Legal Jungle Trivia Question
Generally, a songwriter may use a sample of a song without infringing the sampled song when the song is no longer protected by copyright law and is in the public domain. Which of the following is a way in which a song might enter the public domain?
- Expiration
of the copyright protecting the song
- Excessive
radio play of the song
- Imprisonment
of the songwriter
- Death
of the songwriter
The
correct answer is A. Copyright
protection does not last forever. Once the copyright expires, the song enters the public domain and anyone may use it.
(Thanks to Jaylen Johnson, J.D. Candidate 2009, Howard University School of Law, who wrote the initial draft of this trivia question.)
