# Is this legal? (copyright infrigment)



## nikolas (Apr 25, 2012)

I'm making a song! A serious song! About a game!

http://www.nikolas-sideris.com/AGS/credits23_04.mp3 (www.nikolas-sideris.com/AGS/credits23_04.mp3) (no vocals in yet and badly mixed).

But more than one people have pointed out that it reminds them of 'Glory Box' by Portishead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF-GvT8Clnk

The orchestration is *slightly* there because of the guitar and the strings.
The chord progression is *slightly* there (again) because of the beginning, though my track is more 'developed' lets say.

Do you think it's a problem?


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## cc64 (Apr 25, 2012)

First off Nicolas, nice track!

Secondly, you're as much in trouble with them as they are with Ray Charles(Hit the road Jack) etc...

IMO.

Sure your track is downtempo and uses the same Bass/Harmonic line but nothing there is copyrightable.

I think you can sleep on both ears.

Claude


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## rannar (Apr 25, 2012)

I think there are enough differences in the sound and direction of development. I would not worry about it!


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Apr 25, 2012)

And also this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GQjYPWDcmg

I really don't think you're in any trouble though...


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## nikolas (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks Guys!

Mihkel: Nice track! ^_^


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## re-peat (Apr 25, 2012)

Mihkel @ Wed Apr 25 said:


> And also this:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GQjYPWDcmg
> 
> I really don't think you're in any trouble though...


Funny you should link to that (in this thread), cause that's entirely based on an old (Belgian) hit from the late sixties, called http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ViFu0j7kNw&feature=related (&quot;Daydream&quot;) (performed by Wallace Collection), a song which, in turn, is itself heavily indebted to Tchaikovsky's music for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ea90L91eZk (&quot;Swan Lake&quot;) (a large chunk of the "Daydream"-melody being literally copied from the ballet music's most famous theme).
"Daydream" also has an "Hey Jude"-like outro, in fact half of the song is effectively taken up by a repeating chant which slowly fades out. (Bowie's "Memory Of A Free Festival" is another example of a song that has that type of outro.)

Great bass-sound in "Daydream" though, isn't it?

_


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## Mike Greene (Apr 25, 2012)

You have nothing to worry about on this one, Nicolas. At least not with what you have so far.

FWIW, songwriters get the _"Hey, you know your song sounds an awful lot like Xxxx"_ all the freaking time. I've personally had people say that to me a zillion times. It's just the nature of the beast that unless you write some ridiculously convoluted melody and chord progression, then you're always going to sound like _something_ else.


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## synergy543 (Apr 25, 2012)

Nikolas, I assume you've seen this already?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I

Makes you appreciate both limited constraints and the freedom to go beyond those boundries!


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## Niah (Apr 25, 2012)

Nik all I know is that portishead sampled isaac hayes for glorybox 

http://youtu.be/l3IZ6ZJK_Tk?t=36s

tricky did it as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3bBKTdk2Kk


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## wonshu (Sep 2, 2013)

synergy543 @ Wed Apr 25 said:


> Nikolas, I assume you've seen this already?
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I
> 
> Makes you appreciate both limited constraints and the freedom to go beyond those boundries!



Hahaha....

what a royalty nightmare... LOL


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## Jdiggity1 (Sep 2, 2013)

wonshu @ Mon 02 Sep said:


> synergy543 @ Wed Apr 25 said:
> 
> 
> > Nikolas, I assume you've seen this already?
> ...



Updated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ
The official video clip, a bunch of new songs added. (incase anyone was interested...)


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## passenger57 (Sep 2, 2013)

Portishead also sampled Lalo Schifrin in Sour Times.

No need to worry unless your song makes tons of money. Then thats when people come out of the woodwork. I remember someone in Coldplay saying - no one ever sues us for the songs that don't goto #1


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## Dean (Sep 2, 2013)

Hi Nikolas,

had a good few listens back to your track and all the other links aswell.(love the sting development btw.)

For me the problem is not the chords,(thats a very standard jazz chord progression),its the execution.,..you're also using a very similar laid back drum loop style,tempo,double bass,E.guitars.

Could you do the track as a beautiful,soaring string and vocal track without the kit/E.guitar and D.Bass? and put your own spin on it?.
Im sure its fine legally but with the instruments and style your currently using it really sounds like an orchestration of Portishead.without those elements I think it would a make a fantastic song.

Hope that does'nt piss you off. D


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