Copyright Myths — Ten Claims, Ten Replies

Each sits between "sounds right" and "is right" — taken one by one

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Melody

Copyright myths share one trait: every one "sounds right". Taken one by one — reply and destination in a single pass.

(Summary, not legal advice.)

Ten claims, ten replies

1. "No ©, no copyright." Wrong. Copyright exists upon creation — no mark required (see how many rights live in one song). 2. "Registration creates copyright." Wrong. Registration only helps with proof, not existence. 3. "Change 30% and it is fine." Wrong. There is no percentage safe line — judgement rests on substantial similarity and other factors (see sampling and transformation). 4. "Non-profit means anything goes." Wrong. Non-commercial is not fair use (see fair use). 5. "Credit the source and use it." Wrong. Attribution is a duty, not a licence. 6. "Public domain means use freely." Half right. The work is free; the recording or edition in your hands may be another matter (see public-domain reckoning). 7. "Just post the cover." Mostly wrong. Covers walk the work-layer channel; the original backing also touches the recording layer (see covering vs copying). 8. "Bought the CD / subscribed = may soundtrack my video." Wrong. You bought the right to listen, not the right to sync (see music for video). 9. "Nobody manages it, so it's free." Wrong. Not finding the owner is a signal to *wait*, not a licence — dedicated orphan-works mechanisms exist, but not for "I didn't look". 10. "Used it for years, nobody complained." Wrong. Limitation periods exist; being unnoticed is never a rights status.

The shape behind the ten

One pattern: mistaking "feels reasonable" for "is legal". The system's answers take only three sources — statute, contract, terms — never intuition.

A checklist of the right posture

• Before: check the layer (work/recording) → term → place of use → version;
• During: open licence first, then public domain, then clearance;
• After: keep the whole paper trail.

Listen: two layers speaking separately

The heart of myth 6: the work layer and the recording layer — two notes that can stand together or apart. Hear a pair; remember the structure.

Next

• Revisit any item's detail: the copyright series begins here.
• The system's smallest unit: Melody — almost always waiting on the public-domain side.

Sources

• 本文为逐条误区的通识回应，汇总自本站版权系列条目；不构成法律意见（各条细节见对应链接）
• 涉及的曲目均标注来源与许可档位，可在线试听

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.