dbp@dicomed.UUCP (Doug Plate) (03/13/85)
> Hello again > Is anyone out there interested in trading patches for > their various axes? I have a DX7 and have accumulated a > number of interesting sounds. I've seen patches advertised > for $20 to $200 - but I think we can beat that. > >Trading patches is easy, however, trading other peoples patches >does not sound easy. Patches are copyright just like other computer >programs, I don't think we should be discussing pirating them here. Can patches for the DX7 really be copyrighted? I can see how a diskette or other data encoded medium could be copyrighted to prevent it from being reproduced and distributed, but how could actual panel settings be copyrighted? After all if you change one parameter in the patch by one value up or down it is no longer the original patch and would no longer fall under the copyright. I don't mean to sound authoritative on this subject, I'm really just curious. I would like to see some good patches in this group. Happy modulating, Doug Plate P.S. I am kinda new at posting and I'd like to know if I'm actually reaching anyone out there. It would help me alot if the two people whose articles I've quoted would reply to me and just let me know I got through. Thanks in advance.
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (03/15/85)
> Can patches for the DX7 really be copyrighted? I can see how a diskette > or other data encoded medium could be copyrighted to prevent it from being > reproduced and distributed, but how could actual panel settings be > copyrighted? After all if you change one parameter in the patch by one > value up or down it is no longer the original patch and would no longer > fall under the copyright. I don't mean to sound authoritative on this > subject, I'm really just curious. I would like to see some good patches > in this group. Because copyrights apply to derivative work. If I buy a record at the store, it doesn't give me the right to transcribe it on to sheet music and sell the sheets, even if I change the notes around a little. Buy the way, the DX-7 cartridges that come with it don't seem to be copy- righted. I guess they figure if you have a DX-7 you got the voices so there is nothing to be gained. -Ron
rds5695@ritcv.UUCP (Robert D.Seals) (03/17/85)
> Can patches for the DX7 really be copyrighted? I can see how a diskette > or other data encoded medium could be copyrighted to prevent it from being > reproduced and distributed, but how could actual panel settings be > copyrighted? After all if you change one parameter in the patch by one > value up or down it is no longer the original patch and would no longer > fall under the copyright. I don't mean to sound authoritative on this > subject, I'm really just curious. I would like to see some good patches > in this group. Well, I was trying out the Ensoniq Mirage at a music store, and as you probably know, the Mirage is a sampling machine. I was kind of surprised to punch up some regular synth sounds. I asked the sales guy, and he goes, "that's lifted right off a DX7!" I was a little concerned about the legality of that, and was told that there's no copyrights on sounds - which sounds logical. Does this sound reasonable? Robert (...rds5695)
andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) (03/18/85)
[]
"Can patches for the DX7 really be copyrighted? I can see how
a diskette or other data encoded medium could be copyrighted to
prevent it from being reproduced and distributed, but how could
actual panel settings be copyrighted? After all if you change
one parameter in the patch by one value up or down it is no
longer the original patch and would no longer fall under the
copyright."
Copyright law includes the concept of a "derived work", which is a work
produced by starting with copyrighted material and making changes. A
derived work is covered by the copyright of the original work.
For example, if I take Heinlein's last novel and change the names of
all the characters, the result is still the property of whomever owns
the novel's copyright. At the other extreme, if I take the same novel,
eliminate all but the first word, and write another novel following
that word, the result is a derived work and not my property.
Thus, if you start with a copyrighted patch and make a few changes, the
result is still copyrighted. You have to make up your own patch, or
start with a patch that isn't copyrighted, to be able to lawfully
copy and distribute the new patch.
None of this should be construed as opinion as to whether a patch can
or should be copyrighted in the first place.
-- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew) [UUCP]
(orca!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay) [ARPA]ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (03/18/85)
> I was trying out the Ensoniq Mirage at a music store, and as you > probably know, the Mirage is a sampling machine. I was kind of surprised > to punch up some regular synth sounds. I asked the sales guy, and he > goes, "that's lifted right off a DX7!" > I was a little concerned about the legality of that, and was told that > there's no copyrights on sounds - which sounds logical. > Well sampling the output noise of a DX7 is a different subject than what we were discussing. What we were discussing was the patch roms for the DX-7. The ones Yamaha gives out bear no copyright notice, nor is there any indication on the machine that things are copyright, so I guess it's fair game there. -Ron
mjn@teddy.UUCP (Mark J. Norton) (03/20/85)
> > For example, if I take Heinlein's last novel and change the names of > all the characters, the result is still the property of whomever owns > the novel's copyright. At the other extreme, if I take the same novel, > eliminate all but the first word, and write another novel following > that word, the result is a derived work and not my property. > > -- Andrew Klossner (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew) [UUCP] If this is true, then there are a lot of "derivative" books on the market right now all begining with the word "The". Mark J. Norton decvax!genrad!panda!mjn