Holst Bring us in Good Ale - copyright...????

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rellihopwood
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Joined: 20 Oct 2020 12:16

Holst Bring us in Good Ale - copyright...????

Post by rellihopwood »

Hi
I am just a little confused about the CPDL license. I have downloaded the CPDL copyrighted version of Holst's 'Bring us in Good Ale'. I am wondering if it is free to photocopy for my high school choir....?
Having read through the CPDL license info on the webpage, I am confused about the fact it says the Public Domain License applies to many of the works distributed by the CPDL . It also says that the work will contain 'a notice placed by the copyright holder ( in this case CPDL) saying it may be distributed under the terms of the CPDL License'.
The copy of the Holst piece Bring us in Good Ale doesn't contain any information or wording on the score to say that it MAY be distributed. It has the Copyright CPLD sign, the title of the work, the composer , no arranger's name....and that's it - no 'notice' or info on reproduction. How do I know if this work has a 'notice' on it? Would it be clearly written on the score, something to the effect of ...."this work may be reproduced or photocopied freely..." or something similar??

Help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
choralia
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Re: Holst Bring us in Good Ale - copyright...????

Post by choralia »

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, however I can provide some basic explanation.

Copyright applies to works and to editions. Most works on CPDL are public domain (i.e., the copyright originally held by the composer, by the lyricst, by the the arranger, etc., has expired already) while editions are relatively new and so they are still protected by the copyright of the person who created the edition, i.e., the editor. CPDL owns no copyright: copyright is owned by the editor.

Most editors publishing their editions on CPDL are so generous that they release their editions under the CPDL copyright policy, which means that most uses are freely permitted by the editor. For details about the CPDL copyright policy, please refer to https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:CPDL.

Regarding specifically "Bring us in Good Ale" by Gustav Holst, the work was first published in 1919, so it is certainly public domain in US now. Gustav Holst died in 1934, so the work is also public domain almost everywhere in the world, where, aside few exceptions, the copyright terms range from 50 to 70 years after the composer's death. However, the edition on CPDL was made by Ian Haslam and published in 2011, so it will remain under Ian Haslam's copyright for a period of time that varies a lot depending on the country: some countries do not recognize copyright on editions; other countries recognize copyright on editions for a period of time typically between 20 and 30 years from publication; other countries consider editions as if they were new works, so they apply the same term (50 to 70 years from the editor's death) of original works.

However, the actual copyright term is not a main issue: Ian Haslam has graciously released his edition under the CPDL copyright policy, so most uses are free provided that the CPDL copyright license requirements are fulfilled. For example, from https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:CPDL:

You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Edition as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice, and keep intact all the notices that refer to this License.

So, in practice you can make copies of the edition, provided that you do not delete the CPDL copyright notice on it, so that whoever receives a copy from you will know that the CPDL copyright policy applies, and that, if they want to make further copies, thay can do it provided that they respect the same rules.

Max
sarahk99
Posts: 1
Joined: 26 Oct 2020 20:13

Re: Holst Bring us in Good Ale - copyright...????

Post by sarahk99 »


However, the actual copyright term is not a main issue: Ian Haslam has graciously released his edition under the CPDL copyright policy, so most uses are free provided that the CPDL copyright license requirements are fulfilled. For example, from https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:CPDL:
You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Edition as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice, and keep intact all the notices that refer to this License.

So, in practice you can make copies of the edition, provided that you do not delete the CPDL copyright notice on it, so that whoever receives a copy from you will know that the CPDL copyright policy applies, and that, if they want to make further copies, thay can do it provided that they respect the same rules.

Max
Good day
So this basicaly means that we can distribute verbatim copies as long as we do not sell them?
choralia
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Re: Holst Bring us in Good Ale - copyright...????

Post by choralia »

sarahk99 wrote: 26 Oct 2020 20:19 So this basicaly means that we can distribute verbatim copies as long as we do not sell them?
You can even sell copies:
1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Edition as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice, and keep intact all the notices that refer to this License.

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy.
What's most important is that you transfer to the recipients the same rights that you have received through the CPDL license. To do so, you are rquired to "conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice, and keep intact all the notices that refer to this License", so that the recipients know that the CPDL license applies, and that they have the same rights to copy, perform, record, etc., that you have.

Max
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