TopTrack is a platform for creators, and we require all TopTrack users to respect other people’s copyrights. You can only post your own original work that you’ve fully created, or is in the Public Domain, or have legal rights to represent. Simple as that!
TopTrack does not acquire any ownership or control of your music. For more details, check out our Terms of Use document.
What is Copyright?
“Copyright” is the term used to describe a number of legal rights that exist in original literary, musical, dramatic or artistic works, and in sound recordings, films, and broadcasts, and other creative works. Under copyright laws, these rights are exclusive to the copyright owner, and enable the copyright owner to control how their work is used and prevent unauthorized use.
Copyright laws allow the creator of a work to prevent that work from being copied, and allows their owners to prevent and control things like adaptation, or public performance, or inclusion in a broadcast, or distribution of the work both physically and on the Internet. Because these rights are exclusive to the copyright owner, anyone wanting to do any of these things needs the permission of the copyright owner.
Copyright can exist in all sorts of things - like music, lyrics, photographs, and artwork. Also, what might appear to be a single work can include several different copyrights owned by various different people. For example, a music track by a signed artist will often include separate copyrights in the composition, the lyrics, and the sound recording. Copyright in the music and lyrics will usually be owned by the artist or music publishing company, and copyright in the sound recording will usually be owned by the artist’s record label. Use of that track, including any adaptation of the track or any uploading or sharing over the Internet, will require the permission of all of these copyright owners, either directly or through their representatives (for example, through a collecting society or performing rights organization).
What is copyright infringement, and how can I avoid it?
Because the rights afforded by copyright law are exclusive to the copyright owner(s), you will infringe copyright if you do any of those things without the permission of the copyright owner(s) - for example, if you copy or adapt a copyright work, or make it available on the Internet.
The best way to avoid copyright infringement is to ensure that you don’t use anything created by anyone else. Simple as that.
If you do use someone else's work, make sure you have the necessary permissions – this will usually take the form of a license from the copyright owner(s), which you may have to pay for. If you intend to use any part of a copyright work that is not yours, you should seek legal advice first.
SUMMARY
Please use caution and common sense before posting. If you have specific questions about your own work and how it applies to TopTrack’s Copyright requirements, we suggest you contact an attorney to guide you through this.
Please note: This page provides some basic information about copyright. However, nothing on this page constitutes legal advice – please do not treat it as legal advice or as a substitute for legal advice. Please consult a suitably qualified attorney on any matters related to copyright. Report Copyright Infringement!
If you identify any tracks on TopTrack that you believe infringe your copyright, please let us know. Before making any such report, please consider the following:
- These pages relate to notices concerning copyright infringement only. If you wish to make a report concerning infringement of any other rights, please email us.
- Please only report infringement of your own copyright, or the copyright of someone you are authorized to represent. If you believe that someone else’s copyright is being infringed, please tell them and direct them to this page.
- Please do not report copyright infringement unless you have a genuine claim. If you make groundless or malicious reports of copyright infringement, you risk having your account suspended or terminated. You may also be liable for damages (including costs and legal fees) incurred by TopTrack, the person whose sounds you report and/or any copyright owner or authorized licensee, as the result of sounds being removed in reliance on your notice.
- Please provide detail. The more information we have regarding your claim, the quicker we can process your notice.
By writing to us
If you send us your own notice, please do so in writing to: legal@toptrackartist.com. Make sure that you include the following information:
- a statement that you have identified sounds on TopTrack which infringe your copyright or the copyright of a third party on whose behalf you are entitled to act;
- a description of the copyright work(s) that you claim have been infringed;
- name of the track(s) that you claim are infringing;
- your full name, address and telephone number, a valid email address on which you can be contacted, and your Toptrack user name if you have one;
- a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
- a statement by you that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
In addition, if you wish for your notice to be considered as a notice pursuant to the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act 17 U.S.C. §512(c), please also include the following:
- with respect to your statement that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed, confirmation that such statement is made under penalty of perjury; and
- your electronic or physical signature (which may be a scanned copy).
COPYRIGHT 2016 - TopTrack LLC - All rights reserved