Audio Recorded Sound Effects

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ethian

Guest
Grettings

I'm recording sound effects for my game and now i have now sound effects recorded by me on my disk, but there's a problem...

I'm afraid some of them are copyrighted/trademarked/a license is needed to use this, or...

I know i can't record audio from the TV or the radio because the audio is copyrighted, but... for example : isn't the flush noises of the toilets of our houses, copyrighted?

Thank you.
 

Toque

Member
Organic sounds you personally recorded are going to be ok. Good way of doing it.

Toilet sounds are not copyright protected.
 

Micah_DS

Member
No no no, hold up. I hold the copyright for toilet sounds.
Just give me a sec.... dangnabbit, where'd I put my filthy dubstep track??

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Joking aside, recording audio from a TV, YouTube, iTunes, a vinyl, etc. - yeah, you'd likely have copyright issues there because the source itself is a form of audio data which is likely copyrighted.

But the toilet flush sound wouldn't exist in recorded form already, so how could it be copyrighted? On the contrary, if you flush a toilet and you record the sound, that specific sound data belongs to you.
So look at the sounds themselves as copyrightable, not the potential to make a sound. This is why people aren't out there claiming stuff like, "NO! I already recorded a grass movement sound, so no one can record grass sounds for their games without paying me for the rights".
 
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deem93

Guest
When it comes to sound effects, I've been using sounds from freesound.org. To my understanding, the ones with CC0 (Creative Commons 0) license can be used freely and without the need of crediting the author/source.
 
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ethian

Guest
Toilet sounds are not copyright protected.
But the Toilet sound from my house sounds different from popular toilet flushing sounds heard on TV...
But the toilet flush sound wouldn't exist in recorded form already
'cause is the toilet from my own house... who else has it?

Hmm... i think the toilet from my house isn't from the shops... or...

Anyways, thanks for everything...
 

Toque

Member
But the Toilet sound from my house sounds different from popular toilet flushing sounds heard on TV...

Correct. Use your toilet sounds. Like I said.
Correct. Use your sounds. It’s ok.
 
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Khao

Member
If you create your own content it belongs to you. If you use someone else's content it does not.

It's not that complicated.

Just stop worrying and make your game.
 
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MeBoingus

Member
Recording yourself saying "BA DA DUH DUH DUH I'm lovin' it!" might get you into some level of trouble (unless you're in China). You could always record an alternative, like "DA BA DEE DA BA DIE I am enjoying the food."

All jokes aside, as long as you're not recording something that is obviously copywritten (I.E. the McDonalds tune, the Happy Birthday song, your own voice (I am the Ursula of the IP world. I own the IPR to your voice)) then you'll be absolutely fine :).
 

Bearman_18

Fruit Stand Deadbeat
isn't the flush noises of the toilets of our houses, copyrighted?
Isn't ethian your absolute, favorite?

Seriously, who wants to help me make "comma copyrighted" and "popular toilet flushing sounds heard on tv" into viral memes? Cause they ought to be.

This thread almost made me as happy as nuts goner.
 
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ethian

Guest
Now i know sound effects recorded by me aren't already copyrighted, so i'm now with the recorded sound of the toilet of my house now!

But i have a new doubt :

I know cartoon sound effects heard on TV are not free to use... one day, i made a sound effect that turned out very similar to a certain cartoon sound, so similar, it's the same thing...
Any issues with it?
 
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dannyjenn

Guest
When it comes to sound effects, I've been using sounds from freesound.org. To my understanding, the ones with CC0 (Creative Commons 0) license can be used freely and without the need of crediting the author/source.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the CC0 license is basically the same thing as public domain. (No idea why they thought it necessary to come up with a separate license for that, but they did...)
 

chamaeleon

Member
Now i know sound effects recorded by me aren't already copyrighted, so i'm now with the recorded sound of the toilet of my house now!

But i have a new doubt :

I know cartoon sound effects heard on TV are not free to use... one day, i made a sound effect that turned out very similar to a certain cartoon sound, so similar, it's the same thing...
Any issues with it?
What does your lawyer say? You do have a lawyer, don't you?
 

Tsa05

Member
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the CC0 license is basically the same thing as public domain. (No idea why they thought it necessary to come up with a separate license for that, but they did...)
Basically because Public Domain is a specific status with conditions before it applies. If you want to give your stuff away, it's actually hard to do! You own the rights to things you made, even if you don't want them, and you have to die for about 70 years before your stuff is officially, legally not technically still yours. Until Public Domain applies, you could actually give your stuff away and then you or your heirs could swoop back in later and demand royalties.

CC0 is a legal copyright claim that explicitly grants use in the same terms that Public Domain ultimately would...but applicable now, when you want it, instead of when Public Domain law kicks in.
 

Gradius

Member
I know cartoon sound effects heard on TV are not free to use... one day, i made a sound effect that turned out very similar to a certain cartoon sound, so similar, it's the same thing...
Ideas arn't copyrighted (and no one but THX is patenting sounds), only implementations. Otherwise everyone that recorded something like thunder would be infringing on the first person to do so. Just being 'similar' won't create any issues. Now if you're dealing with names or logos, you might run into trademark issues where 'creating confusion' isn't allowed. But just having a similar sound effect is absolutely fine.
 
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dannyjenn

Guest
Basically because Public Domain is a specific status with conditions before it applies. If you want to give your stuff away, it's actually hard to do! You own the rights to things you made, even if you don't want them, and you have to die for about 70 years before your stuff is officially, legally not technically still yours. Until Public Domain applies, you could actually give your stuff away and then you or your heirs could swoop back in later and demand royalties.

CC0 is a legal copyright claim that explicitly grants use in the same terms that Public Domain ultimately would...but applicable now, when you want it, instead of when Public Domain law kicks in.
Yeah, good point. But, a person can always voluntarily release his own stuff into the public domain long before the copyright expires. All he needs to do is declare "I release this work into the public domain". I suppose that's what the CC0 essentially does, but still.
 
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NeonBits

Guest
Yeah, good point. But, a person can always voluntarily release his own stuff into the public domain long before the copyright expires. All he needs to do is declare "I release this work into the public domain". I suppose that's what the CC0 essentially does, but still.
Why a water-treatment plant and sewers appear in my mind when reading about toilet and the release of someone's own stuff into the public domain...

a person can always (...) long before the copyright expires. All he needs to do is declare "I release this work into the public domain"
Duh! I won't wait for his copyright to expire; the king of the toilet will shout "an horse for my kingdom!!"

There's too many things to read! I'm flushing this thread..
 
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chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
There's some funny comments in this topic. Unfortunately, you (ethian) may be confusing them with facts. So just re-read the first two posts by Morendral and Toque. That's the answer you need.

Your first instinct was correct. You can't use sound effects from TV and songs. But you can safely record sound from the environment around you.

PM me if you have more questions.
 
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