Copyright is at the center of what it means to be a working writer in theatre today. But what exactly does that mean? Amy VonMacek, Director of Council Programs, sat down with Deborah Murad, Executive Director of DG Copyright Management, to learn more about what copyright is, what it isn't, and what it means to you as a working professional.

Watch Deborah explain why copyright is so important, what is protected under copyright, how to protect your copyright, and more!

Executive Producer: Amy VonMacek

Theme Composition: Ioana Preda Buburuzan

Production and Design: Kristin Kapinos and Gabriel Drozdov

The late Pete Seeger’s iconic civil rights song “We Shall Overcome” was thrust into the copyright limelight in 2017 when a New York federal court ruled that the original 1948 copyrighted version of the sheet music (with lyrics), which was owned by Seeger’s company, People’s Songs, Inc., had fallen into the public domain in 1976, thereby ending all copyright protection.

The public domain is not a place. A work of authorship is in the “public domain” if it is no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner.

Watch the recorded "Public Domain - Celebrating the Lifecycle of Copyright" event using the above link. (This is a past event. Only the video is available, not registration.)

The year 2019 was a windfall for dramatists skilled at adapting works, as a large number of classics finally enter the public domain. Some of you may want to adapt works from other genres, e.g., Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, or Agatha Christie’s The Murder on Roger Ackroyd. Others may choose to adapt by simply updating something like George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan with contemporary edifice. 

On October 29, 2019 the U.S. Copyright Office  discussed Poe’s advocacy for copyright law, the breadth of his impact, and the many derivative works it has inspired. More than 300 comic books adaptations of Poe’s work exist, plus many works use Poe’s character as an inspiration. Moreover, Poe was a strong advocate for copyright protections, especially in the international arena.

When you write a story, create a work of art, compose or record music, or take a picture, you engage with copyright. Perhaps you’re fueled to create by reading, observing, or listening to other artists’ works, or maybe you are starting an entirely new conversation." 

In celebration of their 150th anniversary, the U.S. Copyright Office has compiled resources ranging from copyright basics to information on fees and registration. Learn how the Copyright Office can help you engage your creativity, via the link in bio.

On April 29, 2020, in celebration of World Intellectual Property Day the U.S. Copyright Office hosted “Awareness to Action: Innovate for a Green Future.”

The 2020 World Intellectual Property Day theme put innovation—and the IP rights that support it—at the heart of efforts to create a green future, because the choices we make each day shape our future. Through this event, we observed how creators—who through the copyright system can earn a living from their work—play a key role in creating a vision of a green future and its untold benefits.

The event featured:

• Meaghan Parker, executive director at the Society of Environmental Journalists; 
• Roshan Patel, media producer at Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute; and
• Sean Fitzgerald, nature and conservation photographer.

This event will explores how historically disadvantaged communities benefit from copyright law to the advantage of communities as a whole

"Copyright and Social Justice,” a Copyright Matters event, focuses on the links between copyright protection and social justice. Public conversations surrounding copyright often presume that copyright primarily benefits owners of successful media properties to the disadvantage of those who aren’t part of large media groups. However, copyright law incentivizes the creative efforts of all authors. It applies to all types of creators, from established and sophisticated creators to individual artists not as familiar with the law. This event will explore how people from historically disadvantaged communities benefit from copyright law to the advantage of communities as a whole. 

• The Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. representative from New York and member of the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, will give opening remarks, followed by a discussion featuring:
• Lateef Mtima, professor of law at the Howard University School of Law and founder and director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice;
• Robert Brauneis , professor of law and co-director of the Intellectual Property Law Program at the George Washington University Law School;
• Kim Tignor, executive director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice and founder of Take Creative Control; and; and
• Hollis Wong Wear, A Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, speaker, creative producer, and creators’ rights advocate.

I have known for a while that there are websites where you can essentially download sheet music for free, and I am certainly aware that a lot of the sheet music being downloaded in that manner was written by me. While my wife Georgia Stitt has written extensively about this problem, I have tended to sit back, certain that anything I do would just be the tiniest drop in a very large bucket. But about a month ago, I was seized by the idea to try an experiment.

I signed on to the website that is most offensive to me, got an account, and typed my name into the Search box. I got 4,000 hits. Four thousand copies of my music were being offered for "trade." (I put "trade" in quotes because of course it's not really a trade, since nobody's giving anything up in exchange for what they get. It's just making illegal unauthorized copies, and calling it "trade" legitimizes it in an utterly fraudulent way.) I clicked on the most recent addition, and I sent the user who was offering that music an email. This is what I wrote...

As a part of our effort to support dramatists and their allies in the fight, we created a telephone hotline and email address, where anyone can anonymously report instances of copyright infringement – the Guild will reach out to writers, licensors, and publishers of theatrical works to follow up on the reports.

To anonymously report copyright infringement, or if you don’t know where to go to request a script change, you can call the #DontChangeTheWords hotline at 1-855-71-WORDS, to leave a report via voicemail. If you send a text to that same number, you will receive a link to fill out a report online that will be shared with the Guild’s Business Affairs department. You can also email the Guild to report infringement in your area.