Signing Time Playgroups

[3Beez]

I was just inquiring to see if we can use the "Signing Time Theme Song" as our "hello" song for playgroups but maybe changing some of the words to go with the group.

Is that allowed?? :confused:

[andrealynnj]

Are you asking if legally you can use it? As far as I know copyright protection does not address people singing copyrighted songs. In the shower, on the street, or in a group as a hello song.

As far as changing the words, I again don't think this matters in the shower, on the street or even as a hello song. The lyrics to the theme song have been placed in the public domain on the ST website, so every playgrouper can print the words out for themselves. But if you change the words and WRITE it down, or copy the changed doc to pass it out to a class or formal group, I think that raises questions.

In a discussion of copywright law among criminal defense lawyers, we opine that you can sing what ever you like to a play group, even a modified copywritten song, where no thing is written or reproduced, and no money is changing hands anywhere and you are not depriving ST from any money that they otherwise might have recieved without infringing on their copyright.

But in the event that we are wrong (I did say that we are criminal defense lawyers, right), we still don't think that a soberly dressed ST attorney is going to break in on your circle of singing children and slap a Cease and Desist Order on your hello song.

[JoJo]

Andrea, you crack me up!

[3Beez]

But in the event that we are wrong (I did say that we are criminal defense lawyers, right), we still don't think that a soberly dressed ST attorney is going to break in on your circle of singing children and slap a Cease and Desist Order on your hello song.

YOU ARE TOO FUNNY! I would surely hope not....thanks for the info.

[mattdm]

As far as changing the words, I again don't think this matters in the shower, on the street or even as a hello song. The lyrics to the theme song have been placed in the public domain on the ST website, so every playgrouper can print the words out for themselves. But if you change the words and WRITE it down, or copy the changed doc to pass it out to a class or formal group, I think that raises questions.

This is a bit nitpicky, but as a computer geek, these things are important to me :) -- the lyrics are available to the public on the web site, but that doesn't put them in the public domain. The creators still hold the copyright.

Based on the rest of the context, clearly you meant that, but hey, wording is important.

[andrealynnj]

. . . wording is important.

Wording is important. Thanks for the correction. :)