Entry 24

This would be my last entry and it's a wrap for IP Journal this semester. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my IP Lecturer, Prof Zinatul for her knowledge and wisdom and not to forget, Prof Nabeel from Iraq for teaching us Patent Law. I really enjoyed this class. I would like to also thank my PBL Assignment groupmates: Diana, Richard, Ervina and Skylar for having me this semester. It was an honour to be working with amazing friends. Next, I would like to thank all my classmates for embarking this journey together. 

It has been a wonderful journey with IP and overall learning IP makes me feel more particular over one's right to their copyrightable works. I hope to apply this knowledge when I pursue the legal field. I believe that almost everything can be related to IP if we think from that angle. I would like to wish everyone good luck with the upcoming final examination and I hope to pass this time with flying colours! 

best regards, 

Insyirah, 2019.

Entry 23

With reference to Entry 22, there is a similar situation happening to Paul Kim, I am still studying Company Law, but now I am listening to Paul Kim, I searched the song on Youtube and found  "Paul Kim (폴킴) - Me After You (너를 만나) [Sub Indo]" and also thought that it is wrong to repost other people's work using a personal account because there song has already being uploaded by Paul Kim's company. I still think we should not normalise this kind of habit and instil some common sense in our society. In my humble opinion, even if the act is not for monetary gain, it is still morally wrong. 

Entry 22

I am studying Company Law while listening to one of my favourite songs from AKMU, a Korean duo. I searched the song on Youtube and found  "AKMU - How Can I Love The Heartbreak, Youre The One I Love | Lirik dan terjemahan / Sub indo" and thought that it is wrong to repost other people's work using a personal account because there song has already being uploaded by AKMU's company. I think we should not normalise this kind of habit and instil some common sense in our society. In my humble opinion, even if the act is not for monetary gain, it is still morally wrong. 

Entry 21

On 6th December the other day, I was invited to perform at FUU Talent Time, with my junior Chieng. He teamed up with me for that night. I sang and he played the keyboard. I really enjoyed that night because I really love to sing. It makes me feel distressed from the hectic-ness of Law school and other stressful matters. I really credit Perundang for handling such event, even my favourite band LOKO was there to perform that night. I was honoured to let them watch me sing "Jatuh Cinta" by iamneeta. I searched regarding this issue on linkedin, and found that with regards to live cover performances, the solo performer does not need a license to perform a cover song live. It is the club, restaurant, or concert venue that is supposed to obtain a license or licenses for generally hosting music performances, which includes the live music as well as the recorded music they play over the sound system. These are licenses from PROs, or performing rights organizations, namely ASCAP, BMI, SESAC. These organizations sell licenses on their websites. They also send agents to clubs and restaurants to try to get them to buy a license. Sometimes a venue or store will tell you that you cannot play any cover songs. This means they have opted not to buy any music performance licenses from the PROs. If you are told this, you must be very careful not to play those songs. Do not try to sneak them in.If you are planning a residency or major tour where you will be renting venues, and you plan to play cover songs, part of the planning should be to be sure each venue has proper licensing.Also, if you are planning a show or repertoire that is wholly or mainly cover songs, you should check with the applicable PRO to see if they insist you have a license. If the venues you play have licenses, you are covered. If you are producing your own shows at locations without licenses, you may need to obtain a license. Granted, most cover bands do not bother with any of this and simply forge ahead and play the cover songs.

source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cover-songs-performing-recording-them-legally-sue-basko

Entry 20

During week 7, I performed a duet song with my good friend, Wajih during the FUU Confession Night handled by Perundang. We sang "My Heart", an Indonesian song. It was wonderful, I really enjoyed teaming up with Wajih because he is a fun friend. I did not feel nervous at all because he was there. I felt like I had a friend. So, I was thinking, is it okay for me and Wajih to sing other people's song? Wouldn't that be a copyright infringement? I searched up regarding musical works for some general knowledge. it says that songs are creative works that are protected by copyright law. To copyright songs or copyright music, songwriters need only record their compositions in some tangible way, including on paper, film, tape or digital media. The copyright doesn’t have to be registered and the work doesn’t have to include a copyright symbol. That means that any song that’s been recorded is (or once was) protected by copyright.

The copyright in a musical composition is originally held by its creators—the composer and lyricist—but songwriters typically transfer their copyrights to a music publisher who will help promote the song, administer royalty payments and enforce the copyright. A song copyright gives its owners a group of rights, including the right to publicly perform the song, to make a derivative work based on the song, to reproduce the song, to distribute copies, and to publicly display the song.

The consequences of posting a cover song without a music license depend on the copyright holder. Some copyright owners don’t mind YouTube covers—they increase a song’s exposure and may introduce a new audience to the songwriters’ or original performer’s music. If songs are posted by fans, a band isn’t likely to risk alienating them by taking down their videos. Other copyright owners object to unlicensed use of their work. A few years ago, Prince famously had YouTube remove a video that showed a toddler dancing to one of his songs. 

If a copyright owner objects, YouTube may remove your video or it may negotiate a deal for the copyright owner to obtain revenue from ads that appear on YouTube. If YouTube removes the video for copyright issues, it will also place a strike against your YouTube channel. After multiple strikes, YouTube will delete your channel, along with the videos, subscribers, likes, views and comments. If you’ve worked hard to cultivate your channel, this can be devastating. YouTube cover songs are fun and can offer great exposure for up-and-coming musicians. 

But before you post a cover song, it’s important to understand the licenses you’ll need to do it legally. And it’s wise to get those licenses before you spend a lot of time and money recording your music video. For the case of me and Wajih, I guess it's not really of a big issue because we did not perform for monetary gain, and the event was not that big. However, I might have to read up more on this. 

souce:https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/posting-cover-songs-on-youtube-what-you-need-to-know

Entry 19

With reference to entry 18, same goes to Netflix. I would subscribe Netflix to watch movies legally. I subscribe the family package and share it with my friends, so I would only have to pay RM10.20 monthly to Syafiqah, my school friend. I think RM10.20 is not that expensive compared to buying actual movie tickets which would cost from RM9 to RM22 per movie ticket. I really love watching movies. Plus, my parents have been unsubscribing Astro at home because they thought it was kind of pricey. I introduced them to Netflix and my dad couldn't stop watching Friends since the past few months. I guess it feels much better to subscribe to movies and music legally rather than downloading or streaming the pirate version(s). There is a myth that if it's legal, it's expensive. I beg to differ to that. If there is a will, there is a way. To me, even if it costs some money, at least it's legal. Sometimes, legality is a responsibility and being responsible makes people feel safe, and happy. 

Entry 18

There was this one time a good friend of mine was driving from UKM to Family Mart Bangi. We randomly had this conversation about Apple Music and Spotify. She asked me; why did I subscribe to both Spotify and Apple Music? I told her that I pay RM6.90 only for Apple Music (student ID) and my elder cousin pays for the Spotify subscription because it's a family package. This means that I will only pay RM 6.90 monthly to listen to music legally. She asked me "why not just download the converted link from Youtube, or download illegally from Telegram?" I answered "hey, artists ni, they all 'cari makan' tau, that is why I would feel responsible to pay for their music. Imagine if you own some music and people download your music illegally? how would you feel? I guess learning IP makes me a bit particular on this issue. I guess we should spread awareness to people regarding these kind of issues, we need to be more responsible of our actions.