copyright music
legality behind the copyright of adagio in g minor
<p>sources claim it is still under copyright yet Artists continue to simply borrow from it or copy the piece.</p>
<p>Does this mean that the fragment stolen by giazotto is copyright free?</p>
<p>is it safe to cover giazotto's work without getting sued for it?</p>
<p>I am composing a piece that uses this but I refuse to continue because that last thing I want is some guy in India try to sue me because they managed to buy the rights to adagio in g minor</p>

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<p>Does this mean that the fragment stolen by giazotto is copyright free?</p>
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<p>No.  If people are using the work, they may be paying a license fee for the privilege, or they may be violating the copyright.  The behavior of others is not a good way of judging how you should behave.  For example, in many cities in Europe you can see people boarding trams or buses without buying tickets, but that doesn't mean that public transportation is free of charge.  Some of those people are breaking the law, but most of them bought a ticket on the previous tram or hold a monthly pass.</p>
<p>If there was in fact a fragment, it wasn't &quot;stolen,&quot; and even if the piece was based on a fragment, whether that fragment was in the public domain or not, and whether Giazotto used it legally or not, that would not allow others to use the work without permission.  The parts that he composed are protected by his copyright even if the fragment is in the public domain.  But if the fragment were more recent and therefore also under copyright, well then you would risk infringing <em>two</em> copyrights instead of just one.</p>
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<p>is it safe to cover Giazotto's work without getting sued for it?</p>
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<p>Assuming you mean &quot;without obtaining a license,&quot; it depends on what you do with the cover.  If you only play it for your closest friends without giving them a copy, it's probably safe.</p>
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<p>I am composing a piece that uses this but I refuse to continue because that last thing I want is some guy in India try to sue me because they managed to buy the rights to adagio in g minor</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You have a couple of other options.  You can find out who actually owns the rights and ask them for permission, or you can hire a lawyer in the hope of determining that your proposed composition does not actually require a license.</p>

<h2>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adagio_in_G_minor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">work</a> is under copyright</h2>
<p>Giazotto died in 1998 so copyright will last until 31 December 2068. Giazotto originally claimed that he transcribed and arranged a work by Albinoni - an 18th century composer whose work would have been in the public domain. However, this is what is legally known as a “lie” and the work is, in fact, an original work by Giazotto; as he subsequently admitted.</p>
