Copyright Law

It depends on your use. Unless the intent is specifically education, critique, or news reporting, you would need permission from DC Comics.

yes its a major corporation

In the US, Hokey Pokey is not PD. In the UK, "Hokey Cokey" IS in the public domain. Both have the same melody and lyrics, with the exception of "cokey vs pokey"... no, it makes no sense, but it's true.

It isn't necessary to take any action for a work to be protected. Copyright protection is automatic, as soon as work of sufficient originality is "fixed in a tangible medium, perceptible to human eye, machine reader or other device".

If you wish to formally register a copyright, contact the copyright office in your country for the proper procedure.

The origin of the song Happy Birthday comes from a 19th century melody from a song called Good Morning To All written by the Hill sisters Patty and Mildred. The lyrics first appeared in print in 1912, but it is speculated the song existed before then.

It isn't necessary to register artwork for it to be protected. Copyright protection is automatic, as soon as a work of sufficient originality is "fixed in a tangible medium, perceptible to human eye, machine reader or other device".

If you do decide that you want or need the additional protection a formally registered copyright can provide, contact the copyright office in your country for the proper procedure and applicable fees.

No the song was written by Bishop William Abney and recorded and made famous by Rev Paul Jones, actually on the night he recorded the song Rev Jones was brutally murdered in his home, may he rest in peace

The song was originally recorded by Elder James Lenox (Greater Holy Temple COGIC, Chicago Il) as "God has been Good to me(I wont Complain). It was this recording that made the song famous in the churches before Rev. Paul Jones recording. updated 4/30/2011 ads

Not sure why you are asking this, but technically, every song is copyrighted the moment it is written whether or not it is registered with a copyright office. All of the Beatles' songs are registered. But even if one was not for some reason, the technical copyright is in place and the song is protected. The recorded performance is also copyrighted, as it says on the CD and records.

If the picture is protected by copyright, you will need permission from the copyright owner. Sometimes that permission will be in the form of a Creative Commons license, which allows various types of usage without any additional permission.

Other works may be in the public domain, for example if they were works of the federal government (such as NASA images), or if protection has expired.

Some royalty-free stock photo sites allow using one image several times under the same agreement.

No. The copyright laws were not invented at that time. Which is why everyone prints the Mona Lisa on Birthday cards, postcards and sings songs about it. The song "Mona Lisa by Tony Bennett" has a copyright on it. Because Bennett wrote and performed it and made it famous. However, just because the underlying work is "old" and not copyrighted does not mean you can take anyone else's copy and use it! Each "new" copy of the Mona Lisa painting could have "creative" differences that merit separate protection. For example, you can't copyright the Grand Canyon, but everyone who takes a picture of it owns the copyright of that picture.

There are some similarities between the protagonists in that they are both boys with glasses who have lost their mothers, have a pet owls and are powerful wizards.

However, Neil Gaiman, author of Books of Magic, has repeatedly stated that he does not believe J.K. Rowling copied him and that both Rowling had concepts in their books that were not original. Gaiman also stated that they were probably inspired by the same people.

They refuse requests by email, but I found this form on their website to submit an application for copyright permission. Cheers, Naomi http://www2.warnerbros.com/main/company_info/med/LICENSING%20SUBMISSION%20FORM%205-07.doc

The practice of copyrighting music is generally accepted, as a means of protecting the intellectual property of musicians, but some criticism has been raised, on the grounds that it becomes trickier to compose music when you have to avoid composing anything that might resemble some copyrighted piece of music too closely, which results in a lawsuit. George Harrison ran into this problem with his song "My Sweet Lord" which resembled an earlier song, "He's So Fine" which he was not deliberately trying to copy. It has been suggested that as more and more music is copyrighted, it will become harder and harder to compose anything that is original enough to withstand a copyright violation lawsuit.

No, it's absolutely free to use, but some videos come with commercials that you have to watch. Also, it costs money to make some of the videos and it costs money to promote them.

You will need to scour the Disney website for the contact address for their licensing department.

Next you will need to compose an email/fax/snail mail that should include a clever and witty opening and closing as well as, at least, these three elements...

1) Identify yourself
2) Identify the work you want to use
3) Describe the use you are going to make of the work

Nothing.

All creative works in the US are automatically copyrighted when first physically made.

There are fees to REGISTER a copyright, but registration is needed only if you anticipate a likelihood of commercial use.

The "mail it to yourself" idea suggested by a couple of other posters is sometimes called a "poor mans copyright", and has no legal value whatsoever in the US.

If a copyright is infringed, and the copyright is not registered, the only legal recourse is to have a court order the infringement stopped - no damages can be sought or awarded. If the copyright IS registered, then there can be damages. There's no 'in-between' area for stuff that's been mailed back to yourself.

Copyright law - including 'poor mans copyright' - is addressed by the US copyright office in the link below.

Actually, you can copyright collections of jokes. However, since people may have gotten the jokes from elsewhere, it would be hard to prove if anyone is infringing on your rights. Most who write joke books borrowed the jokes anyway. So it is hard to know where someone got a joke, especially if the wording is much different.

No. Names, titles, and common words/phrases are not eligible for copyright protection.

Additional information: The word 'hobbit' was none of those when first used in J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, and, as such, is a trademark owned by the Tolkien estate.

No; Star Wars trademarks are well protected.

Songs are automatically protected by copyright as soon as they are fixed in a tangible medium (notated or recorded). If formal registration is available in your country, you may choose to do that as well, although it is not required.

The song "Grease" written by Barry Gibb and performed by Frankie Valli, the theme from the movie "Grease," is controlled by Crompton Songs and administered by Warner-Tamerlane. Various sound recordings would have their own additional copyright holders.

The TV show "Grease is the Word" is property of Syco TV.

Request a mechanical license from the copyright holder, or get a license through the Harry Fox Agency. If you are issuing 2500 or fewer units, you can get a mechanical license online at songfile.com. http://www.harryfox.com

The copyright for any work protected under the current US Copyright Law will last for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. If the author transfers ownership or their identity is unknown the copyright will expire 95 years after publication or 120 years after creation, whichever is shorter.

Music that has been registered with the Copyright Office. Under present law, copyright exists upon creation of a work; the registration process creates a legal record of the work's existence, and its approximate date of creation. Copyright notices are recommended for any works that go outside the creator's control, whether the works are formally registered or not.

legally, none, unless you pay a fee or get a license