I think I already addressed this, AFG... For starters, Dom isn't actually doing this. Some third party is doing the cloning, and made a proper balls-up of it, from what you all say. So, not exactly making mighty Yamaha quake in their boots, yet. James already explained what a herculean task it is to do this well.

But, at some point or another, it will become a reality. Whereupon, things may change. You all THOUGHT Ketron's styles were easy pickings, until Ketron got around to telling you that they WERE copyrighted. I imagine the same thing will happen for the internal ROM sounds. Just because you can't FIND a copyright notice (anybody even LOOK?) doesn't mean that copyright doesn't exist.

James, I am SURE that there never has been a situation before where a ROMpler was totally cloned. You are moving into new territory with this. Yes, I can still see that doing this for one's own use is possibly legal, but I still don't see how you get round the distribution problem. Anyway, would you all change your opinions one jot if Yamaha SAID their samples were copyrighted? Somehow, I doubt it. Not good news for your commercial library, James. Doesn't seem like anyone cares... not even you!

But, as far as I can see, if James thinks he can copyright HIS samples, do you honestly think that Yamaha or any other major manufacturer has forgotten about the issue? The thing you may not realize is, they may not be required to post it front and center, even though James has... Ketron's styles were, are and always will be. Didn't MATTER that you couldn't find the notice... You write a song, copyright it by posting a sealed copy to yourself, and if someone just HEARS you sing it, copies it and has a hit, you can sue for plagiarism. As long as you can PROVE the work was originally yours, it doesn't matter if they didn't SEE the copyright notice. It is assumed.

Proving a sample is an original work is easy. Waveform analysis will easily show a copy to be a clone.

There's always a lag between capability and legislation. But the West is waking up to just how much value is lost to piracy, and are making strides to curtail it. Whether the lawyers wake up and make public their copyright on these sounds (no offense, James, but if you can copyright yours, Yamaha can copyright theirs) quickly is up to them, and how they perceive the threat. At the moment, it's no big deal. But if the technology ever matures to the point where it actually WORKS well (without prodigious effort and skill), don't be surprised at how things change...

I never really DID come out and say "I told you so' about the Ketron style issue, that you were CONVINCED were not copyrighted. I hate to say it, but I have a feeling you are all going to discover that things are not quite the way you think they are about this issue, too.