Music copyright infringement can result in monetary consequences based on the value of the music obtained or distributed. Proof of infringement can lead to an order to stop distribution. Infringement can occur unknowingly and is difficult to catch. Lawsuits can result in injunctions and significant losses for artists. Actual damages can result in fines up to 150,000 times the song’s purchase price. It is important to pay attention to copyrights to avoid serious consequences.
The consequences of music copyright infringement are usually directly related to the value of the illegally obtained or distributed music. Actual damages must be proven for monetary consequences to apply, but a person can be ordered to stop distributing copyright-infringing music simply by proving that the infringement exists. Most people worry about the actual damages when they think about music copyright infringement because that’s the only way they can get their money back. It is usually left up to the court how much money is owed to the copyright owner. In some areas, infringement is rampant because there are no consequences of copyright infringement or they are not enforced.
For there to be consequences of music copyright infringement, there must first be someone who can be blamed for the infringement. It is not necessary to prove that the person intentionally or even knowingly infringed copyright, only that he acted in such a way as to infringe copyright. There are significant amounts of minor copyright infringement every day, even in areas with copyright laws, simply because it is very difficult to catch violators. As such, there are actually no consequences of copyright infringement for large numbers of people.
If a lawsuit is filed against an infringer, the first consequence will usually be an injunction against the continued distribution of the music in question. When the infringement is not outright piracy but rather a version of a song or some other issue such as sampling, it can mean significant losses for the artist whose work is being challenged. While an injunction does not return money to the person whose copyright has been infringed, it seriously diminishes the other person’s ability to continue distributing the work.
Actual damages are the area most people worry about when looking into music copyright infringement. A person can be ordered to pay the entire profits made from a song or can even be ordered to pay an amount of money that the person who owns the copyright could theoretically have made with the song. In some cases, free online distribution of a single song can result in fines of up to 150,000 times the original song’s purchase price. The actual amount of the fine often depends not on the value or availability of the song, but on the lawyers handling the case. Given how serious the consequences of copyright infringement can be when they occur, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to copyrights.
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