# Illegal distribution of our music!



## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

Dear composers! In these crazy times our handcrafted work is downloaded from our Soundcloud pages and distributed illegally under aliases via streaming services like YouTube Music, Deezer and Amazon Music. WTF?! Yes, exactly. So, please read this post very carefully. There is a music theft going on in probably a very large scale!

I talked to Thomas Chabalier yesterday about a current problem he had: his music was stolen and illegally released under different aliases through an online distribution service (La Cupula Music and SonoSuite) on various platforms. Today he contacted me again and pointed out that obviously not only he but also some of his friends from France, Lukas Piel and Andy Ernst from Germany are affected.

Obviously titles were downloaded from the composer's Soundcloud site and distributed illegally.

I also uploaded my tracks I published on Soundcloud to YouTube to see if one of my tracks gets a copyright claim. And lo and behold: I am also affected by this copyright infringement! The following is an example for it.

My music:
(Original) https://soundcloud.com/pascalhorn/tuf-voyaging
(Stolen version) https://youtu.be/KpvBzHXyguk

Thomas Chabalier:
(Original) https://soundcloud.com/thomaschabalier/epicmonkey
(Stolen version) https://youtu.be/GNSQHpF4dtU

Lukas Piel:
(Original) https://soundcloud.com/user-782030485/after-the-storm
(Stolen version) https://youtu.be/uU9iSfHAPH4

Andreas Ernst:
(Original) https://soundcloud.com/andreas-ernst-1/ancient-discovery
(Stolen version) https://youtu.be/lwD3iKHKMts

Unfortunately the list does not end here. Over 20 works of Thomas were stolen in this way and can be traced back to at least nine album compilations. Probably this is only the tip of the iceberg. Here I share with you the playlists generated by YouTube for each album, which we've already found and which are all compromised by stolen music.


Album NameUploaderFraudlent link1Lonely FeetRuby Gaylord Teylo2HomesickJennie Brown3A Call HomeDee Bogisich4HomesickMerlin Marquardt5Lost FootsstepsGust Ondricka Olaf6Do Not Love MeHector Larkin Osa7Way of LifeMalvina Kuhlman Laohttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nEQ83Vljx3yDQ5D9RZoNFHMhZImus0hcw8Around My HeartErnest Starkhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ldkBvsdYWtkvUXKfM7SPtXYNGTGU3gRU89Dragon FlightEliane McClureNo playlist because uploaded under "Various Artists - Topic"
Example Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHHNUk0hqZ010Entry of the LoveCornelius Bernier








Top Tracks - Cornelius Bernier - YouTube







www.youtube.com







I now encourage everyone to upload their music to YouTube to see if you are also affected. If so, you'll get a copyright claim by YouTube which tells you who published your song illegaly and how it's been titled. Unfortunately, Thomas told us that YouTube does not feel responsible for the copyright infringement and that the online distributor is responsible for it.

Only together we are strong. Let's join forces and fight this theft together!


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

I just looked at the four examples you gave. The offending accounts are all recent, have no video content, no subscribers and no, or almost no, views. To the extent that they have any views, you and your friends are probably generating them 

If that’s your “evidence”, this isn’t exactly a crisis.

The question is, what is actually happening here, and should anybody care?

I also have a question for you. Why do your links take me to YouTube via Facebook, where I have to click again, rather than directly to YouTube?


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> The offending accounts are all recent, have no video content, no subscribers and no, or almost no, views.



Yes, these accounts are auto-generated by YouTube Music. You'll find the illegaly distributed music on every online streaming service like Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer and co. The distributor is La Cupula Music, a company from Spain, which seems to be some kind of Distrokid.



Rory said:


> The question is, what is actually happening here, and should anybody care?


My intention is to point out this criminal situation to other composers who might be affected by this infringement. And the "evidence" you're talking about are the score sheets and Cubase projects we've got on our harddrives of the music we've composed with a lot of workhours and heartblood.



Rory said:


> should anybody care?


You don't have to care. But everyone should be interested in making sure their music isn't sold by strangers without them knowing it.



Rory said:


> Why do your links take me to YouTube via Facebook, where I have to click again, rather than directly to YouTube?


That's actually a question I can't answer. All links refer directly to Soundcloud and YouTube.

So, if you're just here to troll me, then I gratefully decline.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> My intention is to point out this criminal situation to other composers...
> 
> That's actually a question I can't answer. All links refer directly to Soundcloud and YouTube.
> 
> So, if you're just here to troll me, then I gratefully decline.



Just in the interest of keeping this discussion grounded in reality, copyright infringement is not always a crime in any English-speaking country, and I‘d be very surprised if it’s otherwise anywhere in Europe.

This is the first occasion in my experience with this forum that a link has taken me to YouTube via Facebook. I asked you, as the person who generated the links, if you know why. The suggestion that asking the question amounts to trolling is patently ridiculous.


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## Technostica (Jun 7, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> That's actually a question I can't answer. All links refer directly to Soundcloud and YouTube.



They seemingly link to Facebook in some way and here's an example:

https:// l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FKpvBzHXyguk%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0KLWzfUhBPcVdxPZnOelq5aeeBc0SwHoiU1M186EFkfG5BhShS1sl1EdI&h=AT085g-03yGdLtfJaGcE9JyW5Apwx85540jhWOFz9Bqv5mVeoTksVG7XptcrtqRo3pUWuEs1TPOqUltycb8-bp9IkPQEd9XUhy8oZ2ZwJGXGibKynvPHkvaP61w0mvsuBYUWePbT-rqCJPW2vyY2&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3F3SVjrrGUP-A-gMinTv3nSQakmFBE0AQhZ8AP-XcC_B71ThAAISau9OvR1eynyHFDnPveScVyppHm-VsI_UyPcsCKSxPy5T58wDhMpy3a48kQOIk7Luj_s5QFXem_-V1txUnqjVn5xLTs3JJb

Hover your cursor over the links and it shows the URL.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

Technostica said:


> They seemingly link to Facebook in some way and here's an example:
> 
> 
> 
> Hover your cursor over the links and it shows the URL.



Careful, the person who started this thread and created those links will now get aggressive and accuse you of trolling.

It's his unique way of winning friends, influencing people and demonstrating his credibility.


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## Brasart (Jun 7, 2020)

I have to say, it's the first time I'm hearing of something like this too, I also usually check my name and albums from time to time, but I'm more worried about someone using my tracks on another media or reuploading my soundtrack without thinking it could hurt my revenue than auto-generated copies like the ones you've linked.

As to why your links are redirecting us through facebook, it's because you've copy pasted a youtube URL that was clicked or set up through facebook, as seen with this part of the URL:





It's nothing to worry about though, if you want to copy paste clean youtube links always delete anything after "?" or "&"


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## Brasart (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> Careful, the person who started this thread and created those links will now get aggressive and accuse you of trolling.
> 
> It's his unique way of winning friends, influencing people and demonstrating his credibility.



You're being weirdly aggressive, OP is just trying to be helpful to musicians by raising awareness to an issue he has encountered, chill out


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## MartinH. (Jun 7, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> That's actually a question I can't answer. All links refer directly to Soundcloud and YouTube.



No, the text part of the links goes straight to the sites, the link part of the links goes via facebook, as has been pointed out. I suspect that's something that facebook injects automatically and you copied them from facebook.


Regarding the original topic: were the stolen tracks protected via any of the sites like Distrokid etc.? I was aware for quite a while that there is a risk in uploading "free" music, because anyone can just take it and register it with one of these sites. I would assume they do a content-ID check of their own upon registration? At least I think they _should_. 

The process of finding works that aren't tagged by youtube's content ID seems quite straight forward, which means it can probably be automated. Maybe someone is running a crawler that commits large-scale theft on unregistered music under countless different accounts that probably would lead you to some shell-company deadend in a shady country, if you tried to trace them back to the organizer of this. 

Not sure how much more can be done there except registering ALL your works first before posting them online?


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> Just in the interest of keeping this discussion grounded in reality, copyright infringement is not a crime in any English-speaking country, and I‘d be very surprised if it’s a crime anywhere in Europe.


Sorry, but to assume that copyright infringement is not a crime is ridiculous. It is also not about the music being "just uploaded", which would already be a pirate copy. It's about the music being distributed and offered for sale even on a large scale under a false name. This is a criminal offence.



Rory said:


> This is the first occasion in my experience with this forum that a link has taken me to YouTube via Facebook. I asked you, as the person who generated the links, if you know why.





Technostica said:


> Hover your cursor over the links and it shows the URL.


Okay, I just saw what you meant. But I can't figure out why the hyperlink refers to Facebook. I'm going to change it right now.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

Brasart said:


> You're being weirdly aggressive, OP is just trying to be helpful to musicians by raising awareness to an issue he has encountered, chill out





Brasart said:


> You're being weirdly aggressive, OP is just trying to be helpful to musicians by raising awareness to an issue he has encountered, chill out



I didn't accuse someone of being a troll for asking a completely reasonable question based on what is now clearly a fact. Indeed, it's so clear that he has just admitted the problem and says that he's going to fix it.

If this guy has any class, he'll thank me for raising it and apologise.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

MartinH. said:


> Not sure how much more can be done there except registering ALL your works first before posting them online?



The only remedies are civil remedies in local courts. There is no central, international organisation that deals with this kind of problem, and no national enforcement agency will intervene because it is not a crime.

Short of that, the only redress is through the big online platforms, but that redress is of limited effectiveness.


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## onebitboy (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> copyright infringement is not a crime in any English-speaking country, and I‘d be very surprised if it’s a crime anywhere in Europe.


It is in multiple EU countries, among them France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_copyright_law_in_the_United_States


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

Brasart said:


> I have to say, it's the first time I'm hearing of something like this too, I also usually check my name and albums from time to time, but I'm more worried about someone using my tracks on another media or reuploading my soundtrack without thinking it could hurt my revenue than auto-generated copies like the ones you've linked.


Yeah, well, it seems very algorithmic. As far as we can tell so far, the only music stolen that is stolen is the music from Soundcloud. References to supposedly copyrighted titles such as in "Epic Mickey", which refers to Mickey Mouse, in the original title of one of the pieces by a composer friend, has been changed to "Epic Love". Also "Tuf Voyaging", the book title of a novel by George R.R. Martin, has been changed to a completely new title.



MartinH. said:


> Regarding the original topic: were the stolen tracks protected via any of the sites like Distrokid etc.? I was aware for quite a while that there is a risk in uploading "free" music, because anyone can just take it and register it with one of these sites. I would assume they do a content-ID check of their own upon registration? At least I think they _should_.
> 
> The process of finding works that aren't tagged by youtube's content ID seems quite straight forward, which means it can probably be automated. Maybe someone is running a crawler that commits large-scale theft on unregistered music under countless different accounts that probably would lead you to some shell-company deadend in a shady country, if you tried to trace them back to the organizer of this.
> 
> Not sure how much more can be done there except registering ALL your works first before posting them online?


Another important point that is addressed here. All the pieces that were stolen don't seem to be registered with a PRO. La Cupula Music and SonoSuite seems to be companies similar to Distrokid, where someone can publish his music and get a Content ID for it afterwards. It was a total coincidence that Thomas Chabalier had to find out a few days ago that his music was stolen. And there was no way of knowing the full extent of it. He got a copyright claim from YouTube when he tried to upload his music there. After that he dug deeper and got in contact with me and other composers he knew.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

onebitboy said:


> It is in multiple EU countries, among them France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_copyright_law_in_the_United_States



You're right. I worded that much too broadly. In some circumstances, copyright infringement is indeed a crime, but bare infringement is not and enforcement agencies have bigger priorities. On the information provided by the original poster, this would not be seen as a crime in English-speaking countries. That could change if somebody comes up with evidence of a nefarious, fraudulent scheme. As a practical matter, I do not believe that the solution here is complaints to national police agencies.

In my view, the more promising solution is eventual legislation on the operation of online platforms. That may be coming, but not soon.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> In my view, the more promising solution is eventual legislation on the operation of online platforms. That may be coming, but not soon.


Okay, obviously you don't understand the situation. This isn't just uploading music on YouTube. This is about someone passing off my music as their composition, distributing it via a distributor on almost every major streaming platform and making money off of it. This is a blatant theft! And if you think, this will be the reality of tomorrow, then there'll be no more professional composers, because we cannot live from love and air!


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## JohnG (Jun 7, 2020)

Isn't there some way to assert copyright infringement directly to Youtube?

If your music's copyright is owned by a studio or a music library, suggest you point any infringement out to them, and let their legal guys handle it. Otherwise, not sure it's worth the heartburn to worry, unless they are selling your music to be licensed for television commercials or games or something. If not, the damages likely would add up to very little.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like it. But the reason it persists is that it's not typically worth the money to hire a lawyer.


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> Okay, obviously you don't understand the situation. This isn't just uploading music on YouTube. This is about someone passing off my music as their composition, distributing it via a distributor on almost every major streaming platform and making money off of it. This is a blatant theft! And if you think, this will be the reality of tomorrow, then there'll be no more professional composers, because we cannot live from love and air!



First, you accuse me of being a troll because I pointed out that your links go to Facebook and asked why. This led to others saying the same thing and an eventual acknowledgment and correction by you.

Now you tell me that I "obviously ... don't understand the situation". I have no idea what that assertion is based on.

In fact, I do understand the situation because I have personal experience with it.

I'll be happy to explain when you have the basic decency to apologise.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

JohnG said:


> Isn't there some way to assert copyright infringement directly to Youtube?


In fact there is the possibility to report a copyright infringement to YouTube. However, YouTube has forwarded us to the distributor because YouTube does not feel responsible for this.



JohnG said:


> If your music's copyright is owned by a studio or a music library, suggest you point any infringement out to them, and let their legal guys handle it. Otherwise, not sure it's worth the heartburn to worry, unless they are selling your music to be licensed for television commercials or games or something. If not, the damages likely would add up to very little.


In my case, fortunately, only two titles are affected. There are other composers who have probably been far worse off. We're talking at least 10 albums with a total of over 70 titles of stolen music. My music that has been stolen is unfortunately not published at a music library. Often these libraries already pass on the titles to the Content ID System, so that an upload can be directly blocked or marked and not monetized.
We have now contacted La Cupula Music and hope that they will acknowledge the copyright infringement and take the music off the net by themselves. But our main concern is to make everyone else out there aware of this fact and that we may have only discovered the tip of an iceberg.



JohnG said:


> Don't get me wrong, I don't like it. But the reason it persists is that it's not typically worth the money to hire a lawyer.


Yes, a lawsuit could be very expensive. It's time for a legal expenses insurance, haha. :emoji_hear_no_evil:


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## NDRU (Jun 7, 2020)

Hello, stay calm, Rory. Life's too short, don't overthink. Speaking bluntly, if you have yet to experience this yourself, your point of view doesn't matter when people need a solution here. That is why they came to this forum seeking help.

I can verify, Thomas Chabalier is a tremendous talent; he got his music stolen. He worked for me on a few occasions. There is an ongoing situation, and it's the tip of the iceberg. Technology has yet to catch up with the so-called online distribution of stolen materials. 

I do advise you, Pascal, just seek legal advice and engage the distributor directly. Other than that, don't worry about YouTube, they will not be able to monetize it yet, just checked the link. But do seek a takedown on all distribution platforms.

Moving forward, please do write more fantastic music and be prepared to let go and cover up some patches. Speaking from experience, this happens to A - Z list of composers all the time. Therefore, be very careful when you upload your music on platforms like Soundcloud, Youtube & any social media, be ready to bear the consequences.

Cheers!


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## MartinH. (Jun 7, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> Thomas Chabalier:
> (Original)
> (Stolen version)





pascalhorn said:


> References to supposedly copyrighted titles such as in "Epic Mickey", which refers to Mickey Mouse, in the original title of one of the pieces by a composer friend, has been changed to "Epic Love".



That's a great track!

But I feel like I'm not getting the full picture here. Did Thomas compose that track for the game "Epic Mickey"? If so it would already have been copyrighted by disney I'd imagine and I don't know if he would be allowed to upload it to soundcloud in the first place. If it is an original composition of his that isn't affiliated with Disney in any way, then I would have thought that using the title "Epic Mickey" constitutes a violation of trademark law, and using the image of Mickey Mouse is a violation of Copyright law?! Either way I'm confused and have a feeling I'm missing some information to make sense of this. 

I googled to find out if Epic Mickey is still trademarked and here it says the trademark is "abandoned":








DISNEY EPIC MICKEY Trademark - Serial Number 85019782 :: Justia Trademarks


Action skill games; action figures and accessories therefor; board games; card games; children's multiple activity toys; badminton sets; balloons; basketballs; bath toys; baseballs; beach balls; bean bags; bean bag dolls; toy building blocks; bowling balls; bubble making wands and solution sets...




trademarks.justia.com





What does that mean? Can the term "Epic Mickey" now be used freely again? Why did the trademark enter this status? Did they forget to re-file the paperwork or something like that?


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## Rory (Jun 7, 2020)

anbg90 said:


> Hello, stay calm, Rory. Life's too short, don't overthink.



There's nothing to overthink. This guy made a blatantly false accusation against another forum participant and doesn't have the class to apologise or even withdraw it.

Tells me everything I need to know about him.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

anbg90 said:


> I can verify, Thomas Chabalier is a tremendous talent; he got his music stolen. He worked for me on a few occasions. There is an ongoing situation, and it's the tip of the iceberg. Technology has yet to catch up with the so-called online distribution of stolen materials.



Yeah man, first of all thank you for your post! Exactly, Thomas is a superior composer. We've get to know each other the year he won the first prize at the European Young Talent award. The prize was a recording with the magnificent WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne. The composition "Epic Mickey" is actually one of the recordings made in this recording session.



anbg90 said:


> I do advise you, Pascal, just seek legal advice and engage the distributor directly. Other than that, don't worry about YouTube, they will not be able to monetize it yet, just checked the link. But do seek a takedown on all distribution platforms.
> 
> Moving forward, please do write more fantastic music and be prepared to let go and cover up some patches. Speaking from experience, this happens to A - Z list of composers all the time. Therefore, be very careful when you upload your music on platforms like Soundcloud, Youtube & any social media, be ready to bear the consequences.


Yes, that's what we plan to do. But at the same time we also want to find as many composers as possible who are affected as well. The next time I upload something, I will register it with my POR and distribute it via Distrokid including content ID, so that it can't be stolen anymore.
But it's really a shame. When I started composing film music years ago and sharing it with others for free via Soundcloud, I didn't think about anyone coming along and stealing it. 

Thanks again for these wise words. Cheers!


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

MartinH. said:


> That's a great track!


Yes. Epic Mickey is a really great track! As I told you before, Thomas had the opportunity to record a few compositions with orchestra as part of the prize he won on the Soundtrack Cologne.



MartinH. said:


> But I feel like I'm not getting the full picture here. Did Thomas compose that track for the game "Epic Mickey"? If so it would already have been copyrighted by disney I'd imagine and I don't know if he would be allowed to upload it to soundcloud in the first place. If it is an original composition of his that isn't affiliated with Disney in any way, then I would have thought that using the title "Epic Mickey" constitutes a violation of trademark law, and using the image of Mickey Mouse is a violation of Copyright law?! Either way I'm confused and have a feeling I'm missing some information to make sense of this.


So the composition "Epic Mickey" is originally by Thomas. Recorded 2018 in Cologne. The composition itself has nothing to do with Disney. I would have to ask Thomas, but I think he was only inspired by the computer game and therefore gave the composition the title. Only the title of the song is a direct reference, his music refers at maximum stylistically to that from Epic Mickey. And as far as I know, it is no violation of copyright law to deal with a topic artistically and to refer to it in the title.
The copyright infringment I'm talking about is that someone downloaded his Soundcloud music, for example the track "Epic Mickey" and distributed it illegaly without any permission under an alias. And it's not just his music that got violated, it's the music of many others. The albums you can access via YouTube Music are compilation of music that has been stolen from different composers on Soundcloud.



MartinH. said:


> What does that mean? Can the term "Epic Mickey" now be used freely again? Why did the trademark enter this status? Did they forget to re-file the paperwork or something like that?


Damn, it seems like it's no longer a trademark because someone didn't filed the statement of use. But I don't know, what it means.


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## MartinH. (Jun 7, 2020)

I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, just my 2 cents.



pascalhorn said:


> So the composition "Epic Mickey" is originally by Thomas. Recorded 2018 in Cologne. The composition itself has nothing to do with Disney. I would have to ask Thomas, but I think he was only inspired by the computer game and therefore gave the composition the title. Only the title of the song is a direct reference, his music refers at maximum stylistically to that from Epic Mickey. And as far as I know, it is no violation of copyright law to deal with a topic artistically and to refer to it in the title.



He could have named it "Epic journey of a mouse", that would have been legal imho. To me it looks like he picked the term to associate his work with the intellectual property of Disney. The soundcloud page could be seen as part of his professional porfolio/advertisement, making it a commercial use, even if he makes no money from it directly. And "Epic Mickey" was filed as a trademark - at least for a time. Add to that the image of Mickey Mouse it makes it clear that he didn't pick the title by coincidence. It is my impression that trademark law exists to prevent exactly this kind of behaviour. Afaik in the US trademark law there are legal incentives to actively defend your trademark against infringements or you risk losing it. And I don't see how he could claim fair use on this. Also fair use isn't a right, it's a defense, it doesn't prevent you from getting sued, it's something you use to minimize damage after being sued, but once you're in a legal battle you're already paying a price. I would advise against doing stuff like this. In reality many things are legally not clear cut and will need to be decided by a judge, but I would always err on the side of caution with these things.


There was a case where someone got sued for throwing a Pokemon themed party:








Pokémon sues fans to block Pokémon party on eve of PAX game convention in Seattle


FOLLOW-UP: Pokémon’s lawsuit to block fan party came without warning — or profits The Pokémon Company International, Inc. filed suit against two Seattleites on Wednesday, claiming they broke copyright laws when… Read More




www.geekwire.com






Regarding the use of the image of mickey, which I think falls under copyright law, not trademark law, as far as I can tell... I think that's just illegal, both in Germany and the US. You can't just take someone else's creation and use it for your own purpose, the same way others can't just take your music and use it however they want.

I really don't want to be a dick here, but it irritates me to see composers just taking pictures to advertise their music with, when clearly they don't have the rights to those pictures. It's not even a rare occurrence. But I hope over time it will get rarer and there will be more of a consensus of "you can't just do that" among musicians. There are many many images on the web that are under permissive licenses that allow you to just use them (whether you can be sure the original creators released them under that license is another story).





pascalhorn said:


> The copyright infringment I'm talking about is that someone downloaded his Soundcloud music, for example the track "Epic Mickey" and distributed it illegaly without any permission under an alias. And it's not just his music that got violated, it's the music of many others. The albums you can access via YouTube Music are compilation of music that has been stolen from different composers on Soundcloud.



That's both illegal and morrally corrupt on many levels imo. I'm really sorry it happened to him and others!

A while ago there was a musician who released some old demo tape of his for free on youtube and then the same happened to him and someone registered the work as their own. Absolute scumbag move. 

I was planning to make a blackmetal album one day and when trying to figure out a way through the maze of German tax laws I was at the point where I thought "ah, fuck it, no one's gonna buy it anyway, might just as well throw it online for free". But then I thought about how pissed off I would be when someone else registers it in their name. It's not even about the money, it would just feel like such a violation and injustice, I'd take it personal. I wouldn't do that with the album being pirated, that's inevitable (or rather if no one cares enough to pirate it, I'd probably take that personal in another way). So I genuinely do symphathize a lot with all that have been affected by this already!

I think it's good that you made the thread and helped get the info out there, so that people have this on their radar and can make informed decision about how they release their music in the future. 
Sadly I can't think of a satisfactory immediate solution to that problem though :(.


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## NDRU (Jun 7, 2020)

Rory said:


> There's nothing to overthink. This guy made a blatantly false accusation against another forum participant and doesn't have the class to apologise or even withdraw it.
> 
> Tells me everything I need to know about him.



Best to talk to each other private. I can't remedy this. But let's keep the good water flowing.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 7, 2020)

MartinH. said:


> He could have named it "Epic journey of a mouse", that would have been legal imho. To me it looks like he picked the term to associate his work with the intellectual property of Disney. The soundcloud page could be seen as part of his professional porfolio/advertisement, making it a commercial use, even if he makes no money from it directly. And "Epic Mickey" was filed as a trademark - at least for a time. Add to that the image of Mickey Mouse it makes it clear that he didn't pick the title by coincidence. It is my impression that trademark law exists to prevent exactly this kind of behaviour. Afaik in the US trademark law there are legal incentives to actively defend your trademark against infringements or you risk losing it. And I don't see how he could claim fair use on this. Also fair use isn't a right, it's a defense, it doesn't prevent you from getting sued, it's something you use to minimize damage after being sued, but once you're in a legal battle you're already paying a price. I would advise against doing stuff like this. In reality many things are legally not clear cut and will need to be decided by a judge, but I would always err on the side of caution with these things.


I can't speak for Thomas. And I would like to ask you not to open another barrel here in the comments by referring to such a trifle and completely missing the point. I was referring to the fact that titles apparently protected by copyright or related to other authors were replaced by the thieves. Other titles like my composition "Challenge Me (Demo)" were completely taken over, including "Demo". However, the title that contained "Tuf Voyaging", a composition based on the book of the same name by George R.R. Martin, was completely changed to 'Die To Shine'.




MartinH. said:


> I was planning to make a blackmetal album one day and when trying to figure out a way through the maze of German tax laws I was at the point where I thought "ah, fuck it, no one's gonna buy it anyway, might just as well throw it online for free". But then I thought about how pissed off I would be when someone else registers it in their name. It's not even about the money, it would just feel like such a violation and injustice, I'd take it personal. I wouldn't do that with the album being pirated, that's inevitable (or rather if no one cares enough to pirate it, I'd probably take that personal in another way). So I genuinely do symphathize a lot with all that have been affected by this already!


Exactly! It's not even that much about the money. It's also about the fact that if I now upload my music to YouTube to earn money with it, because of the registration by the people behind it, I'm not allowed to monetize my videos with my music anymore.



MartinH. said:


> Sadly I can't think of a satisfactory immediate solution to that problem though :(.


I am now very curious how the distributor will react and whether they will refuse to take the content off the net. After all, we are not only talking about YouTube.


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## sumskilz (Jun 8, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> In fact there is the possibility to report a copyright infringement to YouTube. However, YouTube has forwarded us to the distributor because YouTube does not feel responsible for this.
> 
> 
> In my case, fortunately, only two titles are affected. There are other composers who have probably been far worse off. We're talking at least 10 albums with a total of over 70 titles of stolen music. My music that has been stolen is unfortunately not published at a music library. Often these libraries already pass on the titles to the Content ID System, so that an upload can be directly blocked or marked and not monetized.
> ...


I've had this happen. Rather than making a big deal out of it, it's easier to just claim the videos, so that you will receive the income from any streams.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 8, 2020)

sumskilz said:


> I've had this happen. Rather than making a big deal out of it, it's easier to just claim the videos, so that you will receive the income from any streams.


Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Besides YouTube the distribution takes place on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Napster and many other platforms. And as the author the respective person of the released album claims to be the author. This person has transferred his not existing rights of use to SonoSuite, which is now responsible for distribution and collecting the money.


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## sumskilz (Jun 8, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Besides YouTube the distribution takes place on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Napster and many other platforms. And as the author the respective person of the released album claims to be the author. This person has transferred his not existing rights of use to SonoSuite, which is now responsible for distribution and collecting the money.


Ah, I see I hadn't read enough of the thread to be offering useful advice.

Am I correct in assuming that your SoundCloud tracks had no ISRCs?


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## pascalhorn (Jun 8, 2020)

sumskilz said:


> Am I correct in assuming that your SoundCloud tracks had no ISRCs?


Yes, that's correct. Since these tracks are a little bit older, I hadn't the time yet to register them with my PRO and publish them officially via distribution service.


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## rudi (Jun 8, 2020)

Rory said:


> Just in the interest of keeping this discussion grounded in reality, copyright infringement is not a crime in any English-speaking country, and I‘d be very surprised if it’s a crime anywhere in Europe.


I would be curious to know the source of that information.

If you take a look at the PRS (one of the UK PRO) in their guide to copyright, there is a section about copyright infrigement (and sections about economic rights and moral rights which only the copyright owner can exercise):

https://www.prsformusic.com/-/media/files/prs-for-music/membership/copyright_law_introduction-(1).pdf

"Infringement of Copyright If a person carries out one of the restricted acts without the authorisation of the copyright owner this constitutes copyright infringement. These acts are strict liability which means that it is not necessary for the copyright owner to demonstrate that the person conducting the acts knew that he was infringing copyright. Indeed it is possible to infringe copyright subconsciously. The copyright owner's rights are not limited by the amount of work used, thus if a 'substantial part' of the work is, for example, copied or broadcast this will still constitute an infringement of the work. A substantial part is assessed qualitatively and could be a very small part of the work if that part was distinctive and thus substantial. The copyright owner is also able to take action against persons who subsequently deal with an infringing copy or facilitated the infringement itself. These acts are known as acts of secondary liability. The copyright owner is able to take civil action for copyright infringement where a number of remedies are available (see below under ‘Remedies’). Some acts of copyright infringement also constitute a criminal offence and therefore criminal proceedings can be taken by the copyright owner, Trading Standards or other law enforcement agencies. "


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## Loïc D (Jun 8, 2020)

AFAIK, same in all UE countries, but stand me corrected if I’m wrong.


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## Rory (Jun 8, 2020)

rudi said:


> I would be curious to know the source of that information.



See post number 15.


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## sumskilz (Jun 8, 2020)

pascalhorn said:


> Yes, that's correct. Since these tracks are a little bit older, I hadn't the time yet to register them with my PRO and publish them officially via distribution service.


I think a lot of people use SoundCloud to put up music that they aren't ready to formally release, or just want to put up casually for whatever reason. If I remember right, they used to market themselves as a platform specifically for that purpose. I guess that's not really safe.

It's good that you brought it to everyone's attention, but what a lame situation.


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## rudi (Jun 8, 2020)

The acts which the article refers to are listed as thus:

"Economic Rights 

The economic rights of a copyright owner are expressed in the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988 as a series of 'restricted acts' that only the copyright owner can do or authorise. These are: 

• To copy a work 
• To distribute copies of a work 
• To rent or lend a work 
• To perform, show or play a work in public 
• To communicate a work to the public (which is any electronic transmission and includes broadcasting) 
• To adapt a work (and all the other acts with that new work) 

All these rights include the right to do any of these acts with a substantial part of the work; this is assessed qualitatively and therefore can be a very small part of a work if it is distinctive."

These are the copyright holder's rights, and don't necessitate the need to show any intent to infrige them. As to the practical cost and effort of enforcing it, that is a different issues, but the legal rights of the copyright holder's are clear.


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## AllanH (Jun 8, 2020)

Regarding Soundcloud: There is a very good thread started by @JohnG on this exact topic about 4 years ago: 






Soundcloud -- BEWARE


By uploading Your Content to the Platform, you also grant a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid up, license to other users of the Platform, and to operators and users of any other websites, apps and/or platforms to which Your Content has been shared or embedded using the...




vi-control.net


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## Will Wilson (Jun 9, 2020)

I've had four tracks taken from my Soundcloud account and included in these albums. 

I've reached out to Spotify who have already removed them/in the process of removing them.
YouTube are a little more tricky but in dialogue with them.

I have also reached out directly to the distributor La Cupula and have had a response from them to let me know they are "investigating" it. We'll wait and see.

This is shitty but they have stolen, but have stolen low quality demos at best from my account and not proper finished/mastered tracks.


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## pascalhorn (Jun 18, 2020)

Hello everyone! A short update: we have now found over 40 of such albums! 

For everyone who is interested to see if he himself is affected, I post the current list here:


Album NameUploaderFraudlent Link1Lonely FeetRuby Gaylord Teylo2HomesickJennie Brown3A Call HomeDee Bogisich4HomesickMerlin Marquardt5Lost FootsstepsGust Ondricka Olaf6Do Not Love MeHector Larkin Osa7Way of LifeMalvina Kuhlman Laohttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nEQ83Vljx3yDQ5D9RZoNFHMhZImus0hcw8Around My HeartErnest Starkhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ldkBvsdYWtkvUXKfM7SPtXYNGTGU3gRU89Dragon FlightEliane McClureNo playlist because uploaded under "Various Artists - Topic"
Example Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHHNUk0hqZ010Entry of the LoveCornelius Bernierhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB9wbLcLpBiElQO27joTReSsrFeyWDwTG11Machine RoomMarquis Ziemehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kLd9lVaQ9DMQYvXYHImXWrBYZ4f0yl2CY12EscapeErich Labadiehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nYjWhCsUBdOZdRW--Gg8-4AXIbgJXfieg13Demo ReelLayne VonRuedenhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nwdhm4m3Jm2le0-ICRdsUonMJ260L2DRY14A Cup of PeaceBritney Batzhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lopkemAf0Y-V_bemDQ7eYjHKYJmUH2oyM15Heroes Take FlightAndres Carterhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ly3Lm7YTRQVh7HNnwDL33RhCXcum3lcxc16Rock In The SunEmmet Veumhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mp-i_bq0hbLCmHyNAz0zS7cxGV4FSDrY817A Living WaterLeland Schoen Icehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nhs76zobgDFP1R40bRleh5WLhVw6Lt__Y18Eye on the ClockAlden Watsicahttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l5zE46gd2j6mm0jmIxKjkm-IfWhy1iR8U19Happy LittleVito Steuber Alisehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mO-OO2zY5cavFsmMox6pESwHuCz_vY3a020Chronicles of LoveVirgine Willhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mjBb8uh6dTxcWjzKaji-BkAFaIvNLO7D421Fountain of YouthOwen Doyle Quatyhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kL2_E_yfbMCGKEHlNRCDjRCYpqCIJfBTo22A Clean TownKelly Swifthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lA83Q-IN8doIArHHusgh4bCCUg8uBinRM23Digital IntesnityVelda Hayes Jhonhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mU7iOFIrxiOMzfGCVQa3vs-Msr3mamdXw24MemoryQuincy Corwinhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_noClOX39Oc3B6HchJ7QdyPn6ocw-UMrrg25Log HorizonJayling Walsh Nickhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDV46NahY9a5VMvG3iQXOoOv13ETMr2_c26Coppy EyeMarcella Herzoghttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k_pW1pavKeLxgBktWj11TiHbozzpi7zT027ParanoiaOmari Kerluke Viushttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kpW3sybUKp8ikTYe5pnZj46W68heWnFk428All or NothingBessie Hauckhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k-x_wU_U95r__PFcXXwDArcQNe20_pb8U29Dawn In The FleshReginald Kris Luishttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lvan97KPsppJSdOt8B8MYA375gGLwAz1830Sad EyesTia Prohaska Kayhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lU0snZoSrjNmzeHeyExdlIQE7BYmeFo-831Horizon LineEric Corwinhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m2NP9tAT6dZxrDqm2K-Na79OjVqYCMSTs32The Forgotten PastBrian Dibbert Elishttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k1rvXPqHrAcC_j_hH8wBdTo8k3ZOEx6Bs33End of TimeKiarra Carrollhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kemK1G-ShVZ0I_v5vaJ2gHJeaJ_JJG0Ls34Last YearNikki Ward Zacodhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nqlgBtlEMq0UXXMSb3be--NbllWY8MLdM35Signal flowGlenda Willhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k4Wvm1ds7FRTFctlEdvruNC0yleWCNt4s36AmbushDelphine Parkerhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_keT2VPF9nJElspYN6aznf5OwgxVbDaVAM37True CommitmentDonal Nguyenhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mctiV7fY6KKo9-iBYv98sDk3l30fVYQKk38A Broken HeartUlises Boylehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mFSpiS4y9VvcuMSupR0yCOSG_MVHsFZmQ39Alone in SpaceAbraham Mohrhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lgtwviRPy7BX-Q6v8Cfmgrw3QB2olCexA40Devil LaughLaverna Hellerhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k74PH4y52I6ri05lBD-Xux2DGhjUeRA2k41Now ScoreJayne Wunschhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_klhL_qu_ndoCNkzZQfcppt_WuAqpFYh_c42Cheese StringsGay Vandervorthttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lgarJKzyvl1IE3AQ7hkj5lxSq-KAn6zL8


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## Zedcars (Jun 19, 2020)

This thread has scared the shit out of me. But thanks for bringing it to our attention.


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## markleake (Jun 20, 2020)

I just realised that at least 2 of these tracks are mine.  My tracks are #2 and #3 in the list above.

Thanks to Thomas for pointing this out to me, and to @pascalhorn for creating this thread.

I'm a hobbyist and I occasionally post what I write to SoundCloud. I think that maybe in the future I won't use SoundCloud anymore. It's a shame that we are getting to the point where there's no way to share music at all online in a safe way.

I'll look into YT and other platforms re: how to report the tracks. I never register anything I write, given I'm a hobbyist and never thought my stuff worth stealing. It may be too late for these tracks though. Seems like I'll have to be more careful.

I can't believe how bad the state of legislation and systems around copyright and asserting your rights over what you create are. It seems to suck for both the creators and the consumers.

Edit: ...and just found more of my tracks were stolen also. Will be interesting to see which ones they thought were good enough to steal.


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## markleake (Jun 20, 2020)

On that note... a question for the thread...

What *should* an occasional hobbyist do? I live in Australia, so not 100% clear what steps I should take to protect anything that I put out there. Even if I am just putting it up casually on SoundCloud.


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## Kony (Jun 20, 2020)

markleake said:


> What *should* an occasional hobbyist do? I live in Australia, so not 100% clear what steps I should take to protect anything that I put out there.


If you're in Australia, the first thing you could do is register your tracks with APRA/AMCOS which is the Australian PRO.

https://apraamcos.com.au/
Edit: sorry to hear you got ripped off btw


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## markleake (Jun 20, 2020)

Thanks @Kony, I'll do that.

I'm mostly just surprised anyone would bother to rip off my work!


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## kro (Jun 20, 2020)

I'm really sorry that's happened to people. I was planning to publish my first album through distrokid soon. What extra steps can I take to protect myself?

Someone mentioned registering first with a "POR"? to have a content ID when publishing via distrokid. What's that?

And someone else mentioned an ISRC?

Is there a website I can read about whatever these acronyms are? ...possibly somewhere I can register my songs before publishing. I'm in America. Thank you!


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## pascalhorn (Jun 20, 2020)

markleake said:


> What *should* an occasional hobbyist do? I live in Australia, so not 100% clear what steps I should take to protect anything that I put out there. Even if I am just putting it up casually on SoundCloud.


There are several approaches that you should consider in the future if you want to show your music for free on the Internet. Some of them are probably less practicable for someone who produces music only as a hobby than others.

What you can always do is to put an audio watermark over the music, for example, in which the name of the composer or the publisher is spoken, as you know it from Audiojungle. Further steps are to register the music with a PRO, a performing rights organisation, and to take care of a so-called audio fingerprint. Audio fingerprints, unlike watermarks, are of course not audible. The song is stored in a database and the best case is that whenever someone uploads a song to one of the major streaming services, the file is matched against the database. A famous example is YouTube's Content ID system, although a YouTube premium partner is actually allowed to upload videos without the Content ID system checking them. A big problem especially due to illegal use of music in the Asian region, especially in China.

There are other ways to protect yourself and have your royalties collected, especially for professionals. 
I found this video on YouTube a few days ago, where all these steps are explained. The part concerning copyright varies from country to country. In America you can actually register your music at a competent office, in most European countries you don't distinguish between natural copyright and registered copyright, you are automatically the author if you create something new, so in Germany for example there is no possibility to register it at an office:





kro said:


> I'm really sorry that's happened to people. I was planning to publish my first album through distrokid soon. What extra steps can I take to protect myself?


First of all congratulations for releasing your first album! Distrokid itself does not offer the possibility to register your music in various audio fingerprint systems. But soon there will be the service Distrolock, you should have a look!

PRO means performing rights organisation. This organisation collects the royalties you are entitled to if your songs are played publicly or covered. Have a look at the video! It is very informative.

International Standard Recording Code - short ISRC: This is a 12-digit digital code, which is stored in the subcode of a music recording on a digital audio carrier, such as a CD. It therefore belongs to the metadata of a recording.

These codes thus enable the identification of a sound recording and at the same time ensure the control of its use for distribution via download or streaming portals, but also Internet radio stations. Therefore, it is advantageous to provide the ISRC's to the recordings during the production of sound carriers or also in the digital release.

Distrokid offers for example different subscription models. I think an ISRC code is only not included in the standard 20$/year version.


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## Kony (Jun 20, 2020)

@scottbuckley has just found one of his tracks which was already registered with Distrokid and CC-BY has been ripped off - and is now having to verify his claim and prove it's his track, even when it was registered months before the rip-off was. Amazingly, Distrokid didn't reject the pirated copy - which incredulously has the same title "Horizons".


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## pascalhorn (Jun 20, 2020)

Kony said:


> @scottbuckley has just found one of his tracks which was already registered with Distrokid and CC-BY has been ripped off - and is now having to verify his claim and prove it's his track, even when it was registered months before the rip-off was. Amazingly, Distrokid didn't reject the pirated copy - which incredulously has the same title "Horizons".


Yes, this is because Distrokid does not include a fingerprint in its standard service and therefore no registration with YouTube's Content ID system. This varies from online distributor to online distributor. For this reason, Distrokid, for example, will soon introduce its new Distrolock service. But there are also other ways to protect your music outside Distrokid. In any case watch the video, it helps you a lot.


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## Will Wilson (Jun 24, 2020)

Ive has a reply from Sonosuite to tell me all tracks of mine have been removed from stores.


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## Will Wilson (Oct 2, 2020)

Just an update.

I found all the tracks of mine that were stolen (and subsequently removed) had been added to a playlist by this person on Soundcloud (around the correct time)






TienTDRB


Listen to TienTDRB | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.




soundcloud.com





He has hundreds of playlists of people, no original tracks. I can only assume that this was their way of collecting the material that they intended to steal!


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## dcoscina (Oct 2, 2020)

Seriously thinking of just using SoundCloud as an easy place to upload music and share with a private link to people I care to share my stuff with. Soundcloud doesn’t do much for me aside that.


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## GtrString (Oct 2, 2020)

This sounds fatal for Soundcloud. If users can’t upload music without risk of theft, it’s not worth it.

I have used it from time to time, but made all works private, as there seems to be trawlers that loves your tracks without listening to them. Reading through this thread, this is probably screening for these thieves.

I did read somewhere that Soundcloud is considered the free music library for some countries. Probably no way to find out, but this thread is another nail in that coffin..

The internet used to be such a free place. 30 years later, its over.


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## Polkasound (Oct 2, 2020)

Most people who upload their music to SoundCloud don't bother to enter any metadata. The metadata area is where one enters their label, P-line, ISRC, UPC, composer, release date, etc. I'd recommend entering as much as possible, because some of it gets publicly displayed in the song description. The metadata may help deter theft, because it gives the artist some leverage in claim disputes.


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## bfreepro (Jan 31, 2021)

It's come to my attention this has happened to me as well. It's very strange. YouTube refuses to remove the content at this time, even though I have these songs registered with BMI under my name. 


Will Wilson said:


> Just an update.
> 
> I found all the tracks of mine that were stolen (and subsequently removed) had been added to a playlist by this person on Soundcloud (around the correct time)
> 
> ...


How did you contact SonoSuite? They only have a contact form to "request a demo"


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## AudioLoco (Jan 31, 2021)

Interesting... 
So, to sum it up, the whole problem happens only to tracks uploaded on Soundcloud??

Soundcloud sound quality was already the worst around and I was using it only for private playlists, but this would eliminate them completely for me...

I hate music thieves


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## bfreepro (Jan 31, 2021)

AudioLoco said:


> Interesting...
> So, to sum it up, the whole problem happens only to tracks uploaded on Soundcloud??
> 
> Soundcloud sound quality was already the worst around and I was using it only for private playlists, but this would eliminate them completely for me...
> ...


Correct. Here's a link to my SoundCloud songs followed by youtube links of the stolen material being uploaded under some weird and completely unrelated name. So on this "album" you've got various orchestral and hybrid cues (mine) and then two tropical sounding EDM songs (probably stolen from another artist and also why the imagery is all tropical...)

All the YouTube links were "provided by SonoSuite", and I have already contacted them explaining the situation, though initially, I got a very canned response ignoring my complaint about stolen music and just shoving their services down my throat, which is why I'd love to hear more info from @Will Wilson about how you resolved this manner with them. 

It's also on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc, so yes, someone is profiting off our music, and it pisses me the fuck off. These tracks were already registered with BMI in my name and released with publishers so the fact YouTube is initially refusing to take them down is just infuriating.


https://soundcloud.com/.../the-last-stand-jrpg-battle-theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI9ndrMfXoM
https://soundcloud.com/velvetgreenmusic/bringing-in-the-herd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-hBZy61Wdg
https://soundcloud.com/bfreeproductions/always-momentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcQ5Of56yPU
https://soundcloud.com/bfreeproductions/unbreakable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-09sXOdRbuM...
https://soundcloud.com/bfreeproductions/divided-we-fall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kVoq5vMVeM...
https://soundcloud.com/bfreeproductions/legion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQMJhBSqMJA


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## bfreepro (Jan 31, 2021)

Will Wilson said:


> Just an update.
> 
> I found all the tracks of mine that were stolen (and subsequently removed) had been added to a playlist by this person on Soundcloud (around the correct time)
> 
> ...


Also, I looked through this and this profile has never reposted my music (but it's been stolen regardless), but I sure recognize a lot of friends and artists they have reposted. Absolutely ridiculous.


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## Will Wilson (Feb 1, 2021)

I contacted Sonoscore via their website and Twitter. Got an email back from them via their support system and took a couple of weeks to resolve.


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## pascalhorn (Feb 6, 2021)

An extremely big problem behind the whole thing is that we have learned from some who have had insight into the statistics behind the stolen songs that the thief generates tens of thousands of clicks on each of these platforms with hacked Spotify and Napster accounts. Moreover, I have already heard of some whose songs were uploaded again after successful deletion, but this time under a different name, different titles and different distribution providers.

My music was deleted by LaCupula Music after some time, but they continue to deny me any access to the statistics, despite proof of my authorship of the stolen music. In the meantime, I no longer even receive a reply to the requests. Quite an impudent distributor!


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