Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Maryland
Internet Tablature
Hello,
I am the webmaster of the website, MyGuitarTabs.com, and I have recently been contacted by lawyers representing the NMPA and MPA and told to take down the ''tabs'' I have on my website because it infringes upon copyright laws. I was wondering what you thought of this because I would think that simply showing someone else how to play a tab would not infringe upon this when it is someones interpretation of the song, rather than a direct copy of the sheet music. If I could figure out the song myself on my guitar or bass guitar, then why should I not be allowed to help others learning this material as well. As of now I have removed the tabs from my website because of this threat, but I have no real knowledge of the law in this area and would love for my website to continue without this interruption. Please let me know what you think, or if you have any further questions about this situation.
hope to hear from you soon, thanks!
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Internet Tablature
The songs themselves (not just the sheet music or specific recordings) are subject to copyright protection, so publishing anything (whether traditional notes or guitar tabs) that shows the artist's (composer's) creation is a copyright violation. You should be able to use public domain music on your site, however, as long as you create the tablature rather than copy it.
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