MetalTabs.com Forum - View Single Post - NMPA letter. Tabs are down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sycophant

What I don't understand is, if it's mandated by the site's submission policy to include the copyright information for the tab to be posted in the first place, then what problem does the NMPA have? Is that not good enough for them? I do not see a legitimate legal reason as to why the NMPA would go after tab sites. The argument that "People can get [tabs] for free on the internet, and it's hurting the songwriters" as said by MPA president Lauren Keiser from Knive's article he posted is totally irrational. I do not know ANY tab site that generates profit; it's not like we have a registration fee and a tab d/l'ing fee or whatever, THEN I would see a reason as to why the NMPA would be pissed, but if we're just putting in our own hours and time trying to figure out our favorite tunes and share our discoveries with others in a decent and functional internet environment, then what problem do they have? They certainly aren't losing any money and we certainly aren't making any.

Another thing I don't get - if Luc Lemay and Luke Kenny are allowed to post their own tabs and approved tabs from other people of their own songs (Gorguts and Berzerker respectively) on their OWN webspaces, what is the damn difference? Why aren't they going for every single piece of tablature on the internet? I think it's ridiculous that the NMPA is targeting Internet tab sites. If this was all on paper then it would all be ok, the fact that this is on the internet makes it wrong? Bullshit. It only makes tab sites easier targets because they are easy to find. The NMPA may have it's own legal reasoning as to why tab sites can be shut down, but without an actual challenge back, we could never know if this was actually legit or not. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't think it is. The argument goes that posting tabs of songs is a violation of copyright protection because they are "derivative works" of the original songs. But this site mandates input of copyright information about the song into the tab before the tab is even archived. Some of us even put warnings at the header of the tabs that go "This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research."

You're right. They have no business or legal grounds at all, they are just seeking out tab sites to destroy because 1) they are easy prey, 2) they are easy to find, 3) most of them have given in, and 4) most have never even fought back in the first place.

With that all said, I will support MetalTabs.com however I can.

I know how you feel but you have alot of holes in your arguement. Just because you post something and say "put copyright information on it" doesn't negate anything other than who "originally" wrote the music. But what if its not even the band labeled? Is it still "copyright protected"? And further asking the question how "protected" is it if ANYBODY can visit and see it regardless of royalties to the band?

Shouldn't a band have the right to protect who does and doesn't recieve their music? Be it by mp3 or a transcribed version in a .txt file or .html file? I'm not saying a single band on this website wouldn't allow tabs to be on this or any other website, i'm just stating "the other side" which is at times a pretty hefty thing to go over.

Now what was raised before about the legality of some other agent filing claims with no affiliation with the said victims, is a good arguement. If there are bands "covered" by the "mpa" well then thats one thing, but if there is not, then thats another entirely.

Also tab sites i imagine DO hurt sales of tab BOOKS. Why buy a tab book that is sometimes expensive as shit when you can do it on the internet for free? Sure some attempt to make the arguement, "well if a band provides a tab book i would get it because its accurate transcriptions of the songs unlike tabs". I will call bullshit all day long, and so will others. Anybody who in a right mind attempts to say that they would buy most bands tab books (if offered) over viewing internet tabs is a liar. Unless they already have a moral objection to tabs, and i'm pretty sure nobody reading this does. (Note i used the word most, because its one thing to buy a single tab book or maybe 2, its another entirely to learn songs purely by buying tab books, or the alternative, by ear)

Sure this makes me all sound like the bad guy, but the fact is i hate what they're doing just as much as the next guy, and intuition tells me they're on extremely shakey legal ground, (which this entire issue actually is).