Song titles

[cypher_lee]

Hi. I wonder if anyone could help me. What are the copyright laws for using song titles as Title chapters in my WIP?

Is it as big a deal as using individual lyrics or is there more leeway given? Thanks in advance.

[katiemac]

Hi. I wonder if anyone could help me. What are the copyright laws for using song titles as Title chapters in my WIP?

Is it as big a deal as using individual lyrics or is there more leeway given? Thanks in advance.

From earlier posts on this forum, I believe that song titles are not copyrighted, and therefore "up for grabs." At one point in time I was using a song title as a temporary title for my WIP, but that has since changed.

I'm sure someone can jump in here with more authority on the subject.

Welcome to the forums!

[cypher_lee]

thanx!

[maestrowork]

Song titles are not copyrighted. Lyrics are. But if you have doubt, please consult ASCAP. Some titles might be "trademarked."

[jules]

Song titles are not copyrighted. Lyrics are. But if you have doubt, please consult ASCAP. Some titles might be "trademarked."

Even if they are, this is unlikely to be a problem. Trademarks exist to prevent people being confused by similarly named products in a similar market. Trademark owners are *not* protected outside of the market their trademark was granted for.

Nobody's going to get confused by a novel having chapters named after songs and start thinking (e.g.) that they were written by the same person, or whatever.

If you're worried, ask a lawyer, but this is really your publisher's responsibility to sort out, not yours, anyway. I wouldn't consult ASCAP -- organisations like that which exist to protect the rights of members will sometimes claim to have rights that they don't actually have, particularly in grey areas like trademark law.