This guide aims to answer these questions and give you an idea of how you can and can’t use music in your Sony Tropfest films.
Some Basics
What’s copyright? Copyright is an automatic protection that applies to the expression of original ideas. It protects your work from being used in an unauthorised manner. It also means that other people’s films, music, photographs, artworks and written texts are protected from unauthorised use as well.

Who owns copyright? Generally the author of a work – the principal director of a film or the composer of a song – owns copyright in the expression of their original ideas. However they may not be the sole owner of copyright in that film or song. For example, if you are the principal director of your film, you own copyright in the cinematographic film itself but a number of other people may own copyright in elements of your film, like the music or soundtrack you use.
What rights does copyright give you? Copyright gives the owner exclusive rights to generally:
(a) make a copy of their work;
(b) show or play their work to the public; and
(c) communicate their work to the public, for example by making it available on the internet.

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