In a message dated 3/10/2008 9:20:30 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, cdhowie@gmail.com writes:

I have recorded a song digitally, and as such it is a really long number. It is a fact that that number represents my song and uniquely identifies it. Now go tell the courts that you can distribute that number to whomever you please.>> ------------------------------- Moot. Yor number is merely a transformation of your copyrighted song. It's a derivative product, which, in its body, contains the full knowledge of the entire copyrighted piece.

It retains the same copyright as the original. Same as if you had translated your work into French.

However, if you give your song a catalog number, which only identifies it within your inventory, that number is not copyrighted. It's not derivative from your work, its merely an identifier. Identifiers are not copyrightable. They represent no new, original, artistic, accomplishement.

Will Johnson

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