* Pieces of music will often take inspiration from earlier
music, sometimes even in direct ways. Say, playfully quoting
a bar or two.
This is considered "fair use", which means it is lawful regardless
of the license. However, it is possible for the license to give a
broader permission-to-quote which extends the usual boundaries of
fair use. For example, you could permit quoting up to 4 bars or 5
seconds without any requirements.
In Austria which is said to have the strongest `Urheberrecht' (I don't
know the English word, sorry) of the world, there are quite precise
rules how long a citation may be without paying `Tantiemen' (again, I
don't know the English word) to the original author.
IIRC, it is not related to the number of bars (remember, a `bar' can
be as long as the composer wishes -- there are e.g. pieces of Eric
Satie which consist of just one bar :-) but to the thematic and
rhythmic material. In case of doubt (i.e. if the case comes to
court), a comission of composers (not lawyers) will decide.
Werner
PS: Since I'm working as a composer also, I'm happy about the strong
`Urheberrecht' for performed music (i.e., getting money if one of
my works is played). But I dislike that I have to pay so much for
printed copies of music, thus I fully support the idea of Mutopia.
Please be careful about the right wording regarding the quotation
of music. A small amount of people makes their livings from
`Tantiemen'.
