Copyright owners have exclusive rights over reproducing, publishing, and publicly distributing their musical works, which allows them to earn royalties. Exceptions include works created as part of employment, where the employer owns the copyright, and commissioned works, where the commissioner may own or have rights to the work. After 70 years, works enter the public domain and can be used without permission. Students can copy songs for educational purposes, and cover songs can be recorded with royalty payment to the original creator. Band names are protected by trademark law rather than copyright. Since 2006, personal copying of music for non-commercial use has been legal under copyright law.

1. COPYRIGHT AND ROYALTIES WEEK 2 – 2009