Tweet Cue sheet copyright

Do Cue Sheets fall under the same copyright laws and guidelines as music, or do they have other rules to be considered, (i.e. film copyright, printed matter)?

I'd like to post scans of the cue sheets in my collection on my blog, but do not wish to violate any existing copyrights, especially for those from studios that still are in operation or part of a larger media corporation.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

Do Cue Sheets fall under the same copyright laws and guidelines as music, or do they have other rules to be considered, (i.e. film copyright, printed matter)?

I'd like to post scans of the cue sheets in my collection on my blog, but do not wish to violate any existing copyrights, especially for those from studios that still are in operation or part of a larger media corporation.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

Depending on the cue sheet, probably not. Most music/documents from the period (especially cue sheets) had a 28 year copyright on them. Most companies who either made cue sheets or photoplay music went defunct or forgot all about the silent era stuff, so when it came to re-copyright the material, most people didn't. That's what happened with the General, College, and Steamboat Bill. UA forgot to recopyright the films/didnt' care and didn't recopyright them. All the others were renewed by MGM, Metro, etc, so that's why.

I'd say with probably 90% certainty that the cue sheets are PD.

Thanks Andrew, I was particularly concerned about a couple of Paramount cue sheets - any idea on them? They seem to be the only ones I would suspect may have been renewed in some cases, but I really have no idea.

Eric

The cue sheets themselves were not ever copyrighted in the first place, but many of the pieces contained therein were, and were renewed, of course.

Judging from the cue sheets that are "out there" now, if any action was going be taken, it would have been taken by now. At the very most, you'll get a C&D.

Thanks Jack, I now realize what I thought was a copyright was a patent date, and I just assumed they'd be under some sort of protection, plus I didn't know about reproducing the Paramount logo, good to know.

I'd just like to make the info. available to anyone who's interested without anybody having any grief about it, including me!

Thanks Jack, I now realize what I thought was a copyright was a patent date, and I just assumed they'd be under some sort of protection, plus I didn't know about reproducing the Paramount logo, good to know.

I'd just like to make the info. available to anyone who's interested without anybody having any grief about it, including me!

Right -- and a patent lasts only 17 years, if I recall correctly. I'd say go to town. I suppose technically those music incipits might be copyrightable, but I doubt it would be worth anyone's trouble to bother you about them...