How to ensure scores are legal?
This is more a question about scoring in general than one specific to MuseScore, but I'd like to know :
i) How to confirm that an 'old' score is legal to use for a new arrangement?
ii) What resources exist for confirming that on-line scores are 'legal' to use for new arrangements?
iii) To whom on these forums , I can raise concerns about specific scores/works mentioned in these forums?
Thanks in advance :)
Comments
You can always arrange any pieces you like for your own private use; the only question is whether or not you can legally *publish* your arrangement. And the laws vary from country to country on that.
I'm in the US, so that's what I am most familiar with. The US government's copyright site has some pretty good info: http://copyright.gov/, but the specifics of how long copyright lasts has changed many times over the years. In general, works first published before 1923 are now public domain, because those works could be protected a maximum of 75 years, but of works first published since then, some are now public domain and others aren't, depending on when the first publication was and whether a renewal was applied for. As far as I can figure, nothing first published in the last 50 years is public domain unless the copyright owner specifically released it.
When in doubt, consult a copyright attorney.