What to do if you accidentally use copyrighted music?

Key Takeaways

Not just any music can be used in audiovisual projects, only royalty-free or licensed music .

Using copyrighted music without authorization can have serious consequences, both legal and financial.

However, you have probably found yourself in the situation where you have used it by mistake.

Here are the steps you need to take to take appropriate action and resolve the situation.

Steps to remedy accidental use of copyrighted music

1. Stop the reproduction or distribution

As soon as you realize that you are using copyrighted music without authorization, stop playing or distributing the work immediately.

This will help prevent further copyright infringement.

1. Identify the copyright holder

This involves determining who has the legal rights to the work.

You can do this by researching online, checking with the platforms where you obtained the music, or reviewing the information provided on the music track.

1. Contact the copyright holder

Once you have identified the copyright holder, it is essential to communicate with them in a respectful manner and explain the situation.

If you receive a copyright claim notice on YouTube, the name of the person who made the claim will appear on the notice itself, so you can contact them.

Often, the copyright holder will prefer to resolve the problem amicably rather than take legal action.

You can ask for permission to use the music or, if necessary, inquire about licensing fees and terms of use.

Be sure to keep a record of all communications.

This way, if you reach an agreement with the rights holder to use their music, it will be recorded via messages.

1. Explore licensing options and authorized use

If the copyright holder is willing to work with you, it is important to understand the licensing options and specific terms that must be followed to use the music legally.

Some songs may be available through licensed music libraries, and others may require customized licensing agreements.

1. Consider using royalty-free music

If you can’t get permission from the copyright holder or can’t meet their terms, consider remaking your video or project using royalty-free music.

One of the best known and most widely used portals for this purpose is Epidemic Sound .

Epidemic Sound

Epidemic Sound exclusively owns the rights to all the music in its library of over 100,000 songs and sound effects.

This allows them to offer a subscription with a direct license that includes all the rights necessary to securely publish content.

One account - be it a channel, profile, page or social network - can be used per platform.

In this way, content published with their songs will be on what they call a “safe list” as long as an active subscription is in place.

Even if the subscription has ended, content created and published within your active period will remain on the safe list.

It not only has your songs sorted by genre, mood, albums… But it also has several tools that make the user experience really convenient and fast.

Many content creators benefit both from avoiding all the problems arising from copyright infringement that we discussed above, as well as the quality of their music.

So much so that if you decide to sign up for a plan with them, you can be sure that they will keep you up to date with any legal changes in the territory in which you reside, and even as a company you can opt to have a manager on their own team to help you clean up your content from potential copyright claims.

Special music tools

These search tools are:

In addition to these, there are also the “Clear videos” and “Clearing invitations” options, which are ideal for agencies or freelancers who create videos for their clients. If you want to know more about how they work, we recommend this article on our website.

Clear Videos and clearing invitations

The platform has a tool specially designed to avoid copyright claims, called “clear videos”.

Through “clear videos” you can literally clear your own videos -or those of your clients- of copyright claims to avoid the whole process of justifying the use of the music afterwards.

This is achieved very easily: once you have an account in Epidemic Sound and have requested the Commercial Plan (which we will talk about later), in the control panel you must add in the “clear videos” section the exact URL of the video that has been uploaded to YouTube.

And then you don’t have to worry about anything else.

They also offer “clearing invitations”, with which any user of the Commercial Plan can send individual invitations to their customers to participate in the platform and can take care of clearing their videos themselves.

However, you will be able to enjoy these advantages if you have, as we said, one of their subscription plans:

Epidemic Sound Subscription Plans.

Epidemic has two payment plans tailored to the needs of the user, depending on whether they are companies or freelancers.

For companies, agencies and freelancers it offers its “Commercial” Plan, through which you can:

The cost varies depending on whether the monthly payment or the annual payment in advance is chosen. If you choose the first option, the cost is $49 per month.

However, if you opt for the annual payment, the price is reduced to $19 per month, totaling $228 per year, which represents a saving of more than 50% on the final price.

On the other hand, for Youtubers or content creators Epidemic Sound has a “Personal” Plan, with which you can enjoy:

This plan, if you want to pay monthly, is priced at $13 per month. However, Epidemic Sound offers the possibility of paying $108 per year in advance - that is, $9 per month - which means a saving of $4 per month compared to the month-to-month payment option.

This year I’ve partnered with Epidemic Sound to offer you an exclusive discount on their music service.

Get access to TWO MONTHS of free music and sounds by clicking on the link below.

The discount is valid for the Personal Plan and the offer will be available for 5 days only!

So make sure you don’t miss out on this unique offer and Epidemic Sound’s diverse music catalog:

After the 5 days you can still sign up through the link and get a 30 day free trial. Without a doubt, Epidemic Sound is a portal that continuously reforms and updates its products, adapting to the needs of all users, guaranteeing an excellent user experience.

Importance of respecting music copyrights

Respecting copyright in music is essential to ensure a fair balance between music creators and those who wish to use their work.

Doing so recognizes and rewards the efforts and creativity of artists, composers and music producers.

In addition, using copyrighted music without proper authorization can have serious legal consequences and reputational damage.

Consequences of non-compliance with copyright laws

Possible Copyright Claims

The copyright owner of a song has the exclusive right to control how his or her work is used.

If someone uses copyrighted music without proper authorization, the copyright holder can file a copyright claim.

This could result in the removal of the content that uses the music without authorization from online platforms, such as YouTube or SoundCloud.

In addition, the copyright holder could seek damages.

Reputational and career impact

In addition to the legal implications, unauthorized use of copyrighted music can damage the reputation of individuals, companies and creative projects.

Copyright holders may publicize infringement, which could affect the public’s perception of the infringer’s integrity and ethics.

This is especially important for artists, content creators and companies, as reputation is a valuable asset in the creative industry.

Therefore, it is critical to know and respect copyright in music to avoid these negative consequences and maintain the integrity of creative projects and careers in the music industry.

Tips to prevent future problems

Preventing future problems related to the use of music in creative projects is essential to ensure a smooth process and avoid legal consequences.

Here are key tips for maintaining the legality and integrity of your projects:

Investing in an understanding of copyright and the proper use of music can protect your creations and your reputation in the long run.

Conclusions

In this article, we have explored a common concern in the creative world: what to do if you accidentally use copyrighted music without proper authorization.

As key aspects, we highlight:

In summary, respecting copyright in music is essential to maintaining a legally sound creative environment.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have used copyrighted music without authorization, it is important to address it properly.

In addition, prevention and the use of appropriate remedies will help you avoid future problems and protect your projects and your reputation in the creative industry.

References