# Question About Library Licenses



## YaniDee (Dec 18, 2017)

I have been puzzled by the rights of licenses. When you pay for a sample library, the 
common right is that you can use them for commercial releases, as part of a composition. The majority of them state that only the purchaser can use them.

But what if you use them to make arrangements for say, a singer who hires you.
Is that an infringement? If you use phrase libraries, or just strings or whatever..
can you not use them for a song written and released by someone else?


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## MatFluor (Dec 18, 2017)

Interesting question. I am not a lawyer, just a guy with experience concerning copyright.

My gut tells me this:
- Arrangement should be ok - since you (who has the license) do it, and your name is attached to it afterwards (as arranger)
- You can't use them in a song by someone else - in the sense of "he has done everything and just uses your licensed libraries to make it sound". If YOU do the work/arrangement, then it might be ok, but not when you are just "quickly leaving the room and don't see what he does on your PC" if you get what I mean.

So - as most licenses are: You can use it commercially as part of a musical thing you do. If someone else does it, it's not you anymore, therefore, unlicensed.

As stated initially, I am neither a lawyer nor do I know how sample library developers handle that. Your best bet is to simply ask the developers how they handle it, what they deem ok and what not. That way you know first hand what is right - and they are there to answer such questions.


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## Ron Kords (Dec 18, 2017)

You're using them as a producer / arranger - that's fine. At least it should be?

Happy to be corrected as this probably an issue that Dev's have a more developed/nuanced opinion on...


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## rrichard63 (Dec 18, 2017)

This might vary from one license agreement to the next. But I think that most licenses permit what the OP is describing.


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## Mike Greene (Dec 18, 2017)

Different companies may have different policies, but I think almost all, if not all, will allow what you're describing, where you're doing arrangements for someone else.

I wouldn't worry about it, because what you're describing is an honest, good faith, reasonable use. Companies aren't looking to bust people like you.  Their contracts are often intimidating looking, which is unfortunate, but that's because they have to write them in such a way that pirates can't find some loophole.

I can't speak for all companies (although I know the majority of them), but even if some oddball company had a rule against arrangements for other people, at worst they would just send you an email (probably a _friendly_ email) asking you to stop.


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