[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Mutopia Project [...] public domain [...] copy this music and share it!"
> I'd like to add a message which asks for a good pianist to write a simple
> piano arrangement, then put it in the public domain and release it to
> Mutopia. Possibly with an offer by me to typeset this from manuscript /
> cassette. Would this be ok?
Yes, of course.
> 2) Is there any update about getting a copyleft music license? I'm a
> newcomer to this list, but I've looked at the list archive and afaics no
> consensus had been reached about what the terms of this license should be.
No. The issue hasn't been discussed any further, so if you have good
ideas, go ahead.
> 3) What's the current legal situation regarding Mutopia? In particular,
> is Mutopia a legal entity, and if not,
No.
> who is legally responsible for
> distributing the music which gets downloaded? I think this could be
> important if Mutopia becomes a serious threat to established music
> publishers. We should be mindful that someone might try to use litigation
> against us. Remember that litigation can be harmful even if you are
> legally in the right, as the cost of fending off a legal attack by a team
> of lawyers is substantial.
There is no legal institution. The main server is in canada, and I set
up a mirror in Holland. AFAIK some the contributors also have their
own sites. I'm not sure if incorporating would help much against
litigation, because a foundation without money will do the same as an
individual without money: complying with the plaintiff's wishes or
turning to the EFF for help. The real issue is: where to get enough
money to establish a foundation and to pay for any lawyers?
I thought for a bit about these issues, but decided that it would be
more constructive to start with putting enough scores on the web to be
noticed by others, than to worry about defending against lawsuits that
haven't started yet.
FWIW, I also consulted a large insurance firm in Holland (OHRA), but
their litigation-for-individuals-insurance explicitly excluded all
patent, copyright and trademark litigation. I just consulted with my
assurance advisor, who will research for me if the major litigation
insurers have a insurance that covers it.
Luckily, there is much less money in the publishing of ancient music
than in (say) modern CDs and DVDs, which reduces the chances of
litigation.
> 4) Would it be a good idea for people to use the "source" header field to
> say *where* the source can be found (not just the edition)? If the source
> document is 150 years old then it may be hard to find a copy.
No, because it might easily be too long to be printed. I think it is
better to put it into the source file; Since the printed score will
refer to the mutopia website, people can find it there.
>[if]
> \enteredby disappears off the face of the net, then mutopia won't be able
> to prove that the edition really is based upon public domain sources.
> (I'm only worrying about old source documents, not modern urtexts).
That's an interesting scenario---all the more since most of my music
have been handed down as xeroxes from xeroxes from xeroxes. (Bad me!
:-). Perhaps this is worthwhile considering. Comments,
anyone?
--
Han-Wen Nienhuys, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ** GNU LilyPond - The Music Typesetter
http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/hanwen/lilypond/index.html
