I thought I read somewhere that those rights do go back to the heirs when an artist dies. Too lazy to look up though.

FTFA: And Lance Armstrong, president of Rondor Music, which owns the publishing rights to Hayes' songs, added: "He lost millions, and it was morally and ethically wrong to take it from him. He was devastated."

Wow, that guy has a lot of ball.

No "label" is involved, submitter.

This was his "writers' share" of the publishing on songs he'd written. Those shares are generally sacred and untouchable, but in this case he was forced to sell them off to pay his debts.

drnugget: I thought I read somewhere that those rights do go back to the heirs when an artist dies. Too lazy to look up though.

They would....if the writer still owned them.

If I have fifty gold pieces and I sell them to pay my debts is my family allowed to demand the return of "my" gold when I die?

It would be a small thing for the record company to set up a small trust, exclusively for his two-year old son.

It would get the company tons of good press, and it would effectively pull the rug out from under any other relatives who want to join in a lawsuit of fail.

Nothing to see here - the family's not getting squat. They can fight it 'til the proverbial cows come home; all they'll be doing is accumulating legal bills.

Etchy333: It would be a small thing for the record company to set up a small trust, exclusively for his two-year old son.

It would get the company tons of good press, and it would effectively pull the rug out from under any other relatives who want to join in a lawsuit of fail.

Don't worry I am sure that the kind hearts in Sciencetology will look after the boy free of charge. After all they got him to quit his last job over them.

FTFA: And Lance Armstrong, president of Rondor Music, which owns the publishing rights to Hayes' songs, added: "He lost millions, and it was morally and ethically wrong to take it from him. He was devastated."

The family has a chance, if the company's spokesman is coming out with statements like that. That's tatemount to the rights-holders pleading No Contest.

Here's an idea: Once any artist dies, BOOM, everything they ever did goes into the public domain.

/Disney would probably be against this idea

Etchy333: Here's an idea: Once any artist dies, BOOM, everything they ever did goes into the public domain.

/Disney would probably be against this idea

I think everyone who ever created anything would be against that idea.

drnugget: I thought I read somewhere that those rights do go back to the heirs when an artist dies.

You read wrong, then.

The Stealth Hippopotamus: I think everyone who ever created anything would be against that idea.

Though contract killers would be in favor of it.

Bill_Wick's_Friend: If I have fifty gold pieces and I sell them to pay my debts is my family allowed to demand the return of "my" gold when I die?

Only if they kill the Orc.

Theaetetus: drnugget: I thought I read somewhere that those rights do go back to the heirs when an artist dies.

You read wrong, then.

Nope, I just remembered it wrong. It's not when he dies, it's when the copyright is up:

But thanks to something called the Songwriters Act, his heirs - whoever they are determined to be - automatically get the rights back as the songs come up for copyright renewal.

Link (new window)

Amazing what the google will find.

gorgor: Only if they kill the Orc.

Then, let's hunt some Orc!

Boritom: gorgor: Only if they kill the Orc.

Then, let's hunt some Orc!

I've don my +1 cape of douchebaggery!

Greedy black people? Check
Large sum of money? Check
Oh yeah...you know how this is going down.

drnugget: Link (new window)

Amazing what the google will find.

Though oddly "Songwriters Act" gets only 55 hits on Google, all quoting that one Fox News article. Can't find any other reference.

Drakin020: Greedy black people? Check
Large sum of money? Check
Oh yeah...you know how this is going down.

4/10

keep on trollin'

Isaac.

Drakin020: Greedy black people? Check
Large sum of money? Check
Oh yeah...you know how this is going down.

Nah, greed will make a person of any color in an asshole. These people just happen to be black.

seminole87: Farkers are funny, you want to be able to steal music at will yet you pretend to care about this guy's kids.

We don't believe in Intellectual Property, unless of course, we've created some.

They have the dumb gene he had when he became a scientology.

Etchy333: It would be a small thing for the record company to set up a small trust, exclusively for his two-year old son.

It would get the company tons of good press, and it would effectively pull the rug out from under any other relatives who want to join in a lawsuit of fail.

Having been involved in music copyright litigation, I can imagine that there is no chance that that would ever happen. In fact, "the company" would probably sue the heirs if they used his songs in a biopic for copyright infringement. So if he sounded like himself, even in death, without prior permission, trouble would ensue. Perhaps we will see how benevolent the scientologists are to his descendants within the coming weeks. Or not.

Why go make your own money? Just leech off your dead relatives.

Nemo's Brother: They have the dumb gene he had when he became a scientology.

If he became a scientology, wouldn't that make him an hero?

seminole87: Farkers are funny, you want to be able to steal music at will yet you pretend to care about this guy's kids.

Of the 27 posts on this thread thus far, I see a grand total of one that basically says, "Think of the children."

Drakin020: Greedy black people? Check

fark you

I bet all his money went to Tom Cruise and the CoS

So it looks like they may actually not be barking up the completely wrong tree.

http://www.ascap.com/estates/estatescopyrights.html(pops)

If I'm reading that site properly any rights assigned to a third party before Jan 1st 1978 (an important milestone date as works created on that date or after have completely different copyright rules associated with them) can be recaptured for the final 39 years they are protected works. Any work registered or copyrighted before 1/1/1978 has an initial protected period of 28 years followed by a 67 year optional (though now automatic) renewal period. Rights can only be recaptured if they are in the renewal phase (which all of them are since it's been 30 years and the renewal process was changed to an automated one). The bad news is that only works created in 1952 (going up one year per year) or earlier would be eligible to be recaptured. It's going to take another 25 years to get his entire pre-1/1/78 catalog back.

That is of course assuming I'm reading that page properly, copyright rules are confusing as is let alone in the pre-1/1/78 era.

aszure: Why go make your own money? Just leech off your dead relatives.

Work for the horrible Marleys.

So they think they're getting the shaft because they're not getting the "Shaft"?

/DNRTFA

seminole87: Son of That Guy: seminole87: Farkers are funny, you want to be able to steal music at will yet you pretend to care about this guy's kids.

Of the 27 posts on this thread thus far, I see a grand total of one that basically says, "Think of the children."

Okay so you only want to steal his music at will, are ya proud???

Heh, yeah! With you on the music stuff.

All they want is about tree-fiddy.

Boritom: The family has a chance, if the company's spokesman is coming out with statements like that. That's tatemount to the rights-holders pleading No Contest.

"tantamount"

The spokesman in question works for the company that holds the publishing rights to the catalog. That's not the same company that holds the songwriter's rights to the catalog.

Teh_Stu: All they want is about tree-fiddy.

woman you know you never give the lochness monster no tree-fiddy!

Can't the pyramid scheme of scientology help them out?

Isaac Hayes was good,
but he was no Dio.

He had to sell his source of income to pay off his $30,000 debt? What kind of crappy lawyer did he have for his bankruptcy? $30,000? Maybe he joined Scientology in order to have better legal council. Seems like he got the Shaft from the judge.

I just assumed he left all his money to David Miscarriage...

They didn't give a shiat about him getting ripped off when he was alive. Now they're gonna go for the money and then start a legal fight to see who gets to watch the boy. Because whoever watches him gets to control the money.

srtpointman: They didn't give a shiat about him getting ripped off when he was alive. Now they're gonna go for the money and then start a legal fight to see who gets to watch the boy. Because whoever watches him gets to control the money.

just came here to say this, had to read all the damned posts to get to it though.

I blame Lance Armstrong.

Using the same logic I imagine there is a southern family somewhere that sill owns them.

So... they're trolls eh?

If they win, do they get the rights to "Stinky Britches" too?

Etchy333: It would be a small thing for the record company to set up a small trust, exclusively for his two-year old son.

It would get the company tons of good press, and it would effectively pull the rug out from under any other relatives who want to join in a lawsuit of fail.

I think it's much more likely the record company would sue his kids for downloading dad's music from the intertubes.

Etchy333: Here's an idea: Once any artist dies, BOOM, everything they ever did goes into the public domain.

/Disney would probably be against this idea

Inn't his head still alive?

Theaetetus: seminole87: Farkers are funny, you want to be able to steal music at will yet you pretend to care about this guy's kids.

We don't believe in Intellectual Property, unless of course, we've created some.

THIS!!! (c) 2008, ScubaDude