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JByron	Date: June 11, 2004 @ 4:41 PM I have read in various posts on this site and others that people believe you can't copyright a chord pattern. Here is this for those who have never read it. "Defendant argues that, even if some parts of La Grange are original and, therefore, copyrightable, the song's guitar riff is not." http://www.patenting-art.com/decision/zz-top99.htm Here is the main page: http://www.patenting-art.com/decision/decision.htm There are some interesting cases.
Intergalacti...	Date: June 11, 2004 @ 4:52 PM yeah but whats the point cos its not like people steal your chords on purpose its just what sounds good.
BedroomSessions	Date: June 11, 2004 @ 5:25 PM i cant be bothered to read it. but basically, people 'stealing' your chords shows that you are better than them and they obviously have respect for how you sound- even if they dont mean it? thats like saying im going to copyright my accent so noone else speaks like me. its just what i think anyway
leflaw	Date: June 11, 2004 @ 9:07 PM Thats a great site for an alternative view of intellectual property
sqrlcub	Date: June 12, 2004 @ 2:32 PM LOL stealing chords. They have been in use since shortly before the Renaissance period in with the usage we have now. It is the basic building block of language. Stealing chords is an equivalent of stealing the concept of words that make up a sentence. It's like hey, I used the phrase "They have been" that must be copyright infringement. Stealing riffs is something else completely. It isn't like any of the songs were stolen in a gestalt. That would be different. There are only so many riffs you can come up with when playing tonally that sound correct. There is boudn to be some crossovers with similar sounds.
Intergalacti...	Date: June 13, 2004 @ 3:21 PM Yeah if you stole I dunno take the riff from sweet child of mine but changed it to minor everyone would still know I dont think thats fair at all. However stealin chords, its just what sounds right for the style your goin for no one can help 'stealin' chords
100thmonk	Date: June 13, 2004 @ 9:36 PM it's kind of interesting musicologically that we look at it this way nowadays.. previous to this way of thinking, we used to enjoy doing one anothers tunes, or quoting eachothers tunes in our own as a sort of tribute or technique of soloing. you really don't have to look far back to see evidence of this. it's very hard to make a claim of originality in a world where very large areas of the territory have already harmonically and rhythmically been mapped out. yo chuck is dey crazee man!! they can't copyright no beats!!
kingo	Date: June 14, 2004 @ 5:25 PM "previous to this way of thinking, we used to enjoy doing one anothers tunes, or quoting eachothers tunes in our own as a sort of tribute or technique of soloing." My thoughts, exactly. There shouldn't be a "fairness" issue here, I don't think. If you're playing a riff that sounds like the La Grange riff, it could be because you like the riff and want to do something different with it. It shouldn't be about "stealing" or who's cooler than who cuz they came up with what.
neomage	Date: November 9, 2004 @ 1:51 AM I was messing around with chords one night and was told the next day that the progression I came up with (completely by random) was the one from Dust in the Wind.
ryanwilliams	Date: November 9, 2004 @ 2:56 PM "Defendant argues that, even if some parts of La Grange are original and, therefore, copyrightable, the song's guitar riff is not." Granted, I din't read the article, but this says Guitar Riff--that's not really the same as a chord progression, I don't think. Am I wrong here?
joshmerfi	Date: November 11, 2004 @ 3:00 PM Riffs and melodies can be copyrighted. Chords and chord progressions cannot.
maailman	Date: November 12, 2004 @ 8:18 PM everything can be copyrighted. http://www.uscomco.org/dish/
jeddak	Date: November 13, 2004 @ 8:11 AM If chords can be copyrighted, then all the chord books are in violation.
pancreaspuppet	Date: November 15, 2004 @ 12:59 AM maailman posted: "everything can be copyrighted. http://www.uscomco.org/dish/" Does that have any relevance??? Its a communications website.... I think the majority has it here - chords are fair game, riffs are different altogether.
DaveWL	Date: November 15, 2004 @ 12:34 PM Chords can be copyrighted? Who owns the rights to C major. He must be making a mint. Maybe there are still some I can get the rights to - maybe some of the more unpopular ones. What about D flat diminished 13th inverted. It's an ugly sounding chord but if anyone uses it I'll sue their ass.

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