I may have asked this question way back when I was young , but I don't remember the answers.

If you compose/arrange/write a song and use a factory pattern/style/rythem that is in your arranger, are you stealing? If you do use a style do u have to advertise that on ur song/album details? Obviously if they apply that to the sounds, we are screwed, but I was just wondering about the styles/patterns.

Any feedback related to this subject is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mos
According to Jerry Kovarsky from Korg when we had this discussion somtime back. The styles sounds etc on your board are free to use/copyright free in your music. The only time there would be danger of a copyright infringement is to take those styles and, sell, distribute, and/or possibly convert for use on another board.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

You don't have to worry about infringing on any copyright laws when using arranger keyboards... The styles on arrangers are royalty free styles, and users are free to use them in any way they so choose... Look at it like this... Say you buy a sample CD that's loaded with drum loops.. You paid a specific amount of money for these loops.. These are royalty free loops, and the price you pay for using them is what you pay for the CD.. Look at it in this way with arrangers... Consider that a privilage within the price of the keyboard...

Squeak

Squeak,
Again, according to the manufacturers that is only partially true what you say. They are royalty free for creating your own music. The copying and redistribution of those styles they feel is an infringement of their copyrights.

In short, they are limited copyright usage not do whatever you please with them.

That was Korg's stand and to my recollection, though I do not recall the specifics, Yamaha under threat of lawsuit forced someone to pull sounds or styles or both off sites on the net. Does someone recall the specifics of that incident?

And royalty free is different than copyright free.
Terry

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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

[This message has been edited by trtjazz (edited 05-05-2003).]

So much for styles-exchange. Your thoughts on the following sent to a PSR group:

Dear Yamaha Keyboard Users:

Yamaha Corporation appreciates your interest in the use of our
keyboards. We also value your active involvement in the creative use
of our products in this Yahoo! Group Site called Yamaha-PSR-Styles.

While we are pleased with your use of our products, we wish to
express concerns about the ongoing exchange of Style Files owned by
Yamaha. In this Group Site, some Style Files taken directly from
Yamaha keyboards have been posted without any modifications, or in
some cases, with only minimal modifications. Yamaha has spent
considerable time (over 20 years), money and effort in creating its
collection of Style Files, and those Style Files are Yamaha's
valuable assets. As the owner of rights in these Style Files, Yamaha
has the sole and exclusive right to reproduce and distribute them.
While Yamaha welcomes playing your music on our styles, it only
permits reproduction within the scope of personal use. Accordingly,
making Style Files available over the Internet to an indefinite
number of people is clearly outside of Yamaha's contemplation and
consent. Such activities on this Group Site constitute an
infringement of Yamaha's intellectual property rights.

Although certain Yamaha keyboards contain a "copy" feature
that enables users to copy Style Files, this feature has been
developed in order to allow users to save user-developed files and/or
to save original files for backup, both in connection with personal
use. Please note that the owner's manuals to Yamaha keyboard
products expressly state that "unauthorized copying of copyrighted
software for purposes other than the purchaser's personal use is
prohibited." Furthermore, each Style File is embedded with a
copyright notice, e.g., "Yamaha Corp. 2001."

Upon review of this message, please cease (i) copying any Styles
Files from Yamaha's keyboards unless it is for your personal use,
and (ii) posting and downloading any Style Files to and from this or
any other Internet sites, including the archive site named
Spectromagic.com. In addition, we ask that you delete on or before
February 28, 2002 any Style Files you have posted on this or any
other Internet sites, including Spectromagic.com.

Yamaha appreciates your loyalty to our products. Accordingly, we are
considering several methods of making more Style Files available for
use on your Yamaha keyboards such as by permitting you to download
certain popular Style Files for free from the Yamaha's official
website and/or making commercially available reasonably priced Style
Files that will upgrade the styles library on your current Yamaha
keyboards.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We appreciate your
understanding and hope that you continue to enjoy our keyboards. We
will continue to do what we can to enrich your musical experience
with our products.

Very truly yours,

Yamaha Corporation

yamahastyles@yamahacorp.com


[This message has been edited by cam8neel (edited 01-28-2002).]

I would like to use the NEW AGE style in my X1 for one of my compositions, is that illegal?

Mosiqaar, you are free to use this or any style in a composition, which you can then copywrite. What you will be copywriting will be the melody and lyrics,if any,which is to say, THE UNIQUE CONTENT THAT YOU CREATED. The backing parts played by the styles are not intrinsic to your composition, they are just "decoration", and are free to be used in other compositions without infringing on your copywrite.This is assuming that you have indeed created some unique content! If you new-age "composition" consists of selecting a style and pressing the "play" button---------? I'm joking here, If you have a hit record using your X1 you need not fear any lawsuit from Ketron. They would probably be very pleased and feature you in their ads! Good luck.
Bill

I wonder how long it took Korg to develope the 12 and 16 bar styles if it took Yamaha 20 years to do the 4 bar loops. Anybody here know?

Brickboo,
probably a couple of months... LOL !!

Steve

Thank you Bill, and all

The Styles are not copyright free. However, you are free to use them to create music, which YOU can copyright, which incorporates and utilizes the styles owned by the keyboard manufacturer. In effect, the keyboard manufacturer is licensing you to use their styles for your song creations. That is the position of the keyboard manufacturers. I know. I discussed this with Yamaha's top lawyers, both in-house counsel and their "Big L.A. Law Firm" outside counsel. As I'm an attorney I'm sure I understood what they were saying. In our dispute involving the PSR Styles Group, which I moderate, we had discussed this extensively. I did not agree with this position, but we came to an agreement which did not require litigation, to the mutual satisfaction of all sides.

In short, feel free to use the styles for making YOUR songs, but don't try to sell these styles to another keyboard manufacturer, or put them up for sale on the net.

Bob, Esq.

Thank you Bob