# Copyright and scores question



## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I have been using IMSLP a good deal lately while learning how to write orchestral music. A few of the pieces I want to play around with in Sibelius are not in public domain, I'm not looking to sell it or anything, but only to use it to see how composers I like wrote their music. IMSLP has a warning even when just looking at the score that might not be in public domain, that you could get into trouble with it. As I said, my intentions are learning only, and will likely get rid of when I'm finished. So I ask again, is this ok usage of IMSLP?


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Copyright is a minefield.

My personal feeling is that you should be covered by fair use exemptions for educational use. Have a look at http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/ for example which is part of a long discussion on copyright or google fair use or educational use copyright exemptions.


----------



## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Downloading music under copyright for personal use — whole scores or major portions thereof at least — is a violation of copyright law. It does not conform to fair-use standards because it infringes on the copyright holder's right to profit from their work. Your remedy, if you wish to respect the law and still get the material for free, is to borrow the score from a library. The difficulty, of course, is that not everyone lives near a well-stocked music library.


----------



## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

Why not just study the score via IMSLP and *if needed* write down a passage or two that intrigues you? Of course, you have broken the law but no one would know.


----------



## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

You can use the website still what i do is download scores of DEAD COMPOSERS.You see a copyright is in effect 50-70 years after the composers death after that anyone can use it.Most dead composers has public domain music.


----------

