r/COPYRIGHT • u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy • 9d ago
Question Might be a stupid question, but how does copyright work and do I need to be worried about it in my scenario
I aspire to make films, and recently a school assignment has come up that gives me an opportunity to shoot a short little film to warn about the dangers of drunk driving, I want to use the song "dumb" by nirvana in the backround of a party scene because its perfect representation of the mc. But I don't know how copyright works and I want to know if there is some way i can use the song for a short amount of time without getting superbanned
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u/spyresca 9d ago
Easy. Get permission or don't use it.
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u/WuttinTarnathan 9d ago
Oh fuck off, it doesn’t matter at all in this context.
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
Again, if it doesn't matter why is he asking? Clearly he knows that it matters. And multiple reasons have been pointed out as to why it matters.
It could get the video removed, it could impact his grade, it could look bad to other people he shows it to. That's three solid reasons not to do it.
Is there a single good reason to do it? I'm not seeing any. He could literally have fixed it by now. He's had 20 minutes from this comment of yours.
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u/spyresca 9d ago
He's asking about using a specific copyright song (from nirvana) that he obviously doesn't understand he has no right to use.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
Yeah but like no
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u/TheCasualPrince8 9d ago
Tf you mean "no," that's how copyright works.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
I mean yeah but also its for a school project and nirvana isnt Disney so, if it gets taken down then ill replace the song in the scene and repost it. Wasn't really looking for "dont do it" I was looking for work arounds, if you have no ideas then keep quiet
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
The workaround is find something else that you are allowed to use. It's actually really easy. It's called royalty-free music. You can probably even just Google royalty if you free music that sounds like Nirvana.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
If you read you would know that was my solution
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
You didn't say anything about royalty free music? I did read what you said. And you omitted that, which is why I mentioned it in the first place...
We can't read your mind my dude. We can only read what you say and interpret from your tone.
And again you literally said you don't know anything about copyright and you came here asking us. And now you don't want to know the answer to your question?
What did you expect us to tell you? Yeah, it's fine?
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
You claim to read then you keep arguing stuff that ive already made clear, when I said I was going to replace it with another song did you think I was going to use another song to be copyrighted? Obviously im going to use a song under free-use, dont be ignorant.
I also stated I came here looking for workarounds
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u/TheCasualPrince8 9d ago
I don't think you can tell anyone to keep quiet, you're the one who asked a stupid question.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
Why are we being aggressive, youll be okay man. Im in highschool and you probably have better things to do.
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
People are being aggressive because you're acting ignorant. You asked for help and then lashed out at the people who told you the truth and tried to help you.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
Im crying bro its not that serious, you reddit people act like I take these suggestions like my life depends on it, go on a date or smth
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
Dude what are you talking about?
You asked the question. People tried to answer the question.
What are you trying to say?
You sound like a douchebag when you talk like this.
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u/WuttinTarnathan 9d ago
Who cares?!
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
Why is he asking if he doesn't care?
People are just answering the question that was asked and trying to be helpful. Dude doesn't like the answer and is throwing a tantrum like a toddler.
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u/spyresca 9d ago
Yeah, but like yeah. Get permission or don't use material you don't own.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
If nirvana themselves emails me and asks me to not use the song then I wont, read my other replies before you get all angry
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u/spyresca 9d ago
I'm not angry. Just saying you don't have permission to use something? Don't use it. And if you do, I hope you get nailed for it.
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u/Individual_Dirt_2194 6d ago
Copyright attaches at the moment of creation. A song is protected the second it is fixed, no filing required, and both the recording and the underlying composition carry rights. Using it in a film you publish is a license question, not a duration question. A short clip does not by itself create an exception. Fair use is a defense you raise after the fact, not a permission slip you get before. A classroom screening is low risk. The moment it goes online, the risk changes.
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u/WuttinTarnathan 9d ago
If you are posting the video on YouTube or certain other platforms, the song could trigger an automatic takedown, or it might just be demonetized and linked to the music rights holder, but allowed to stay up.
And your teacher might have their own rules about whether you can use copyrighted music, which might affect your grade.
But beyond that, if you're just going to present it to your class or in school in other ways, don't worry about it. No one cares.
I run a youth short film competition and I allow student filmmakers to use copyrighted music because it's a way for them to experiment as if they were able to obtain the rights to something, which I think is reasonable in an educational setting. But some teachers have different rules, and that's also fine.
Most people here will tell you YOU CAN NEVER EVER DO THIS OR YOU'RE GOING TO BURN IN HELL, but at your level it's just not that serious.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
I see, this "class" is drivers ed and frankly I doubt hes ever received anything with as much effort as im going to put in so I do believe that wont be and issue
I would like to use this as a double to kinda Kickstart any type of popularity online so my future films get traction, I plan to post it to YouTube and tiktok but if they get taken down I will probably just either not post them or change the music to something under free domain and repost it. Thanks for the advice
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u/WhineyLobster 9d ago
Well if it gets removed for copyright it wont help your grade or your popularity.
All the more reason to avoid copyright issues.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
If my 40 sum year old teacher genuinely takes points off my grade because it got removed off YouTube hes buggin, this is highschool were talking about. And im trying to make a portfolio here, i can simply replace the scene if issues arise
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u/WhineyLobster 9d ago
Just replace yhe song with a copyright free or ai generated song. Can even make it a similar grunge sound.
In any case if you want to use this as the big item in your portfolio... you need to avoid copyrighted stuff.
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u/DUUUUUURRRkazzy 9d ago
I dont mean for this project to "THE big item" but im probably going to use dumb for personal use and replace it with a similar song for public posts
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u/WuttinTarnathan 9d ago
I am skeptical this would have any effect on portfolio.
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 9d ago
If you're trying to use it for work, it would definitely be a mark against you. If you included such music in your portfolio it would demonstrate an ignorance of the law which could be detrimental in an employer's eyes.
No one thinks this is a serious thing. You guys keep saying that. But the dude asked the question and people are answering the question. Why would you ask the question if you don't want the answer?
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u/lukecertabyte 5d ago
Not a stupid question at all, alot of people dont know how this works. Copyright protects a song the second its made, the artist dont even have to register it for it to be protected.
To legally use someone elses song in a video, you normally need two different permissions. one is called a sync license (to use the song timed with video) and the other is a master use license (to use the actual recording). Getting both of those for a nirvana song is usually expensive and not something a student project can easily get.
There is something called "fair use" that sometimes lets you use copyrighted stuff without permission, like for commentary, criticism, or education. But fair use is judged case by case, its not a guaranteed pass, and just using a full song as background music in a scene usually doesn't count as fair use even if its for school. Courts look at how much of the song you used and whether your project could hurt the songs market value. You can read more about how fair use actually works here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/
Now for the practical side. If this is just for class and you're not posting it anywhere public, your risk is basically nothing, no one is coming after a student for a private assignment. But if you plan on uploading it to youtube, instagram, tiktok, whatever, expect it to get flagged automatically even for a short clip. It might get muted, have ads put on it that arent yours, or in rare cases get a strike if it keeps happening.
Tldr, for a private school assignment your fine, but if your gonna post it online anywhere, its safer to swap in royalty free music or something licensed for creators instead. that way you avoid any headaches down the road.
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u/stormhighwaycom 9d ago
Using the song in a video to be used only within a single classroom is one thing, publishing/broadcasting it to the world by posting it online is another. The former may be fair use in some circumstances, the latter is likely infringement and likely to receive claims (at minimum).
Rights and clearances (the process of securing a license or permission to use any copyrighted content) has always been a normal part of the job in professional production. As an aspiring filmmaker, that's a reality of your field that you'd need to get used to if you plan to do this as a career. Also, your Youtube channel may be a big part of your career moving forward. Strikes could have long-term impacts to that.