So I was trying to figure out why the bandwidth usage in February was 2000% higher than normal. After looking around, I noticed that a certain attachment posted by a certain someone (not naming names) was hooked into a very popular Xanga page and downloaded thousands of times.

This file was an MP3 of copyrighted material which was posted for a sheet music request. DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT publicly post copyrighted MP3 files ANYWHERE on the forums. I understand the need to transfer an MP3 for sheet music requests, but this must be arranged in other ways. Send the transcriber a PM and arrange to email or IM the file.

Members: If you have a sheet music request post with a copyrighted MP3 attachment, remove it right away.

Moderators: Please help me out. If you see copyrighted MP3s being used, delete them and inform the person of this announcement.

Does this include posting a website link to a site where the mp3 can be downloaded, or just directly uploading it to a post?

Yes both. The former doesn't waste my bandwidth but it does violate the rules. When you contact the transcriber then you can point them to a donwload site if you wish...

Can't you setup apache to block any access request that come from any domain but ichigos.com?

Can't you setup apache to block any access request that come from any domain but ichigos.com?
Well, it is, but lots of times clients don't send a referrer (lots of crappy "client security" programs do this, and browsers like Opera and Firefox give you an option to send it) and I need to allow direct referrals for those reasons. There were a lot of 403s (access denied) but a significant chunk of traffic got through. I also set vB to not allow anonymous access to attachments which would help in this specific case.

The overall issue about not posting copyrighted material remains, however.

How about uncopyrighted MP3s?

I think it would be safe to assume you can post uncopyrighted mp3's as long as you're sure they're not copyrighted. And lower the bitrate if you can to save bandwidth.

How about uncopyrighted MP3s?

I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but...

How can you tell if they're not copyrighted MP3s? I really have no clue how to tell. :heh:

Well, say, if the MP3 is a recording of yourself playing something :)

Otherwise, I think it'd be safer not to post it...

well japanese music isnt copyrighted unless its licencsed by a US company cause the copyright laws there arnt enforced at all i mean japanese singers post their albums on their websites for gosh sakes...so if its not in english its not copyrighted

well japanese music isnt copyrighted unless its licencsed by a US company cause the copyright laws there arnt enforced at all i mean japanese singers post their albums on their websites for gosh sakes...so if its not in english its not copyrighted
Don't confuse copyrighting and licensing. Any original work is automatically copyrighted, even without saying so. While there is no "international" copyright law, works created in a foreign country are still copyrighted. This varies depending on the country's laws, but for example: If an artist in Japan makes some original music, and someone listens to it in the US, it's still copyrighted under US law. This means you can't claim that you made it, as the copyright holder has those rights.

However, if an artist in Japan creates music, it doesn't mean it's nessisarily licensed in the US. This means it can technically be distributed (but not altered or have any claims laid) since noone owns the licensing rights to the song. This is the same for artists in the US who are not licenced. It also applies to any original songs that YOU make (it's automatically copyrighted, but noone has licensed it.)

Please remember that just because a song is Japanese doesn't mean it's not licensed in the US (or your country). Most Japanese record labels have assets in the US (Geneon, etc) and so anything licensed in Japan is also licensed here.

As far as the forums go, there's two reasons: First, distriburting anything licensed will get me in big trouble. This server is in the US and that means we abide by the US copyright code. Second, distributing copyrighted, unlicenced material is legal, but it wastes my bandwidth. The exception I'm making is for you to share your own compositions.

Many Japanese companies have international contracts. I think Muzie.com has a lot of examples of uncopyrighted music mostly because it's original artists.. It's nice to ask them before using it though, they're pretty nice about letting you use their music most of the time.

Edit: Bandwidth is a killer sometimes... all the other times the moderator is already dead XD

Yes! At last! Thanks guys. The site I am a member of banned me for a reason I don't know, turns out that someone [a member] was linking off their mp3's.

would thing off bluelaguna be considered copyrighted

Yes. Bluelaguna includes the notice that it's illegal to download any songs on there that you do not already own.

Opps sp is it illegal to have stuff from bluelaguna on my MP3 player

unfortunately, yes...

well if we cant upload them or provide links, what if there is a video of it on youtube? can i provide a link to a video that has the song, im not sure how youtube works with copyrighted stuff so i figured i would ask to be safe

Can we upload mp3 recordings of midis?

I don't believe that would be a problem, because it's not copyrighted...

ok then.

MIDIs technically are still copyrighted, but since they are basically aural sheet music then it's not that much of an issue. Why not just upload the midi though?

MIDIs technically are still copyrighted, but since they are basically aural sheet music then it's not that much of an issue. Why not just upload the midi though?

It's taken care of. :)

MIDIs technically are still copyrighted, but since they are basically aural sheet music then it's not that much of an issue. Why not just upload the midi though?

Its just that I might post some XG midis from time to time here, and XG midis only sound right with an XG synth and most people don't have them. Thats why I asked if we could post mp3 recordings of midis on the site.

Ok I have a quick question, what if I have music from Soukaigi, just one song, Lovely Strains, and it is an mp3, and I don't have the midi??? How do I let you people have it so you can create sheet music???

Can someone answer my question from above???

Request the piece in the Sheet Music Request forum, and say that you will provide the file directly to the transcriber - email it them or something. Just don't host it on the forums is all - we don't want to know about any illegal MP3 distribution ;)

actually I'm one of those people. I've Trulyl sorry I deleted it already after reading this post. I'll keep that in mind I don't want this site to be put away. I've been here for years.

but can we do youtube links?

what about music which is created by u and posted solely by u, are we allowed to post the link of the mp3 of our music on ichigos forum? its not copyrighted right?

Like you see in the composing threads, there is no problem to set a link to mp3s where the copyright is by yourself.

I'm new here and I'm wondering on the posting of an .mp3 file that was given as a free download by the composers on the game's website (the game in question is Star Wars: The Old Republic, who uploaded music from the game to download for free).

I'm new here and I'm wondering on the posting of an .mp3 file that was given as a free download by the composers on the game's website (the game in question is Star Wars: The Old Republic, who uploaded music from the game to download for free).

You will have to put a link to their website. Because they are giving it for free it does not mean that others have the authorization to re-distribute the material.