[Vintage54]

       
     Hello everyone!
         Looking for advice. Ive been a member of this forum for a week or so now and ive posted three sets of lyrics online. I like being part of this online community, really enjoy it. But what worries me is, after posting my lyrics, someone stealing them and claiming them as their own. Its not about money, just copyright. For that reason, im thinking long and hard about publishing anymore, and just pulling out. Dont want to do that, but everytime i put something down, the worry is right there in the back of my mind. Feedback anybody?

                       Vintage54

[Boydie]

This comes up all the time and I would just say that you should RELAX

Copyright in the UK is automatic - the lyrics are automatically protected by copyright

IF someone "stole" your lyrics then you would just need to prove you wrote them first - ironically posting them here would probably help with that proof!

The biggest question is: What are the chances of someone "stealing" your lyrics?

I haven't read your lyrics so please don't take this as a dig at your writing but I would say the chance is pretty much zero - and certainly less than the chances of you being run over - so should you stay in your house all the time

IF you wrote the perfect set of lyrics a publisher/artist would want YOU - not the lyrics

The example I like to use is that they would want "the goose that lays the golden egg, not the golden egg"

The other benefits of posting lyrics is the feedback you get, which should help you improve

You might also find a collaborator who could bring your lyrics to life in a song (with your permission)

For me the benefits of posting songs/lyrics FAR outweigh any minute risk the work might get "stolen"

There are copyright services available (I would would recommend the Guild of International Songwriters and Composers over the internet based services for lots of reasons) that can formally protect your work if you are still worried

I would therefore relax and concentrate on improving your writing, and a key part of that is getting impartial feedback on your work IMHO, so I would continue to post lyrics/songs

[S.T.C]

It can happen, it can happen even with a US copyright stamp of protection.....but the chances are it won't.
If you post your song idea/lyrics ,you do run the risk that it may be plagiarized in some way...but if what you wrote is not destined to do anything special anyway ,what's to worry about.

[Onelabel]

+1 on what Boydie and Songsthatcry have said.

No disrespect but you'd really have to be at the absolute top of your game (and anyone else's game for that matter) for anyone to even THINK about ripping off your stuff. And even then it wouldn't happen as (like Boydie said) said they'd want you not the song, the Golden Goose not the egg.

Write, share, collaborate, improve, write, share, collaborate........

[Gallowglass]

I'm worried about it too but the chances are very very remote. If it does happen it'll be by some unknown person rather than an established musician, and - in the UK at least - the law's totally on your side if you have written proof you wrote the song first.