If a song is no longer under copyright, then it becomes public domain.
Typically that means that the lyrics are no longer protected. Other people can use them for whatever reasons, commercial or otherwise, without needing to seek permission, licensing, or pay royalties.
That does not mean you can use someone else's cover of that song, which will be protected as a derivative work.
As an example, many Christmas carols were written a few hundred years ago, and their lyrics are no longer copyrighted. So you could do your own cover of 'I Saw Three Ships', publish and sell it, etc. But what you could not do is use someone else's cover, such as the one featured in a 1999 episode of South Park, which is protected by its own copyright until at least 2069, if not longer. You could not incorporate this version into a new work until then.
There are also different rules for copyright of the song and copyright of a recording made of a performance of the song. Each recorded performance may have completely different copyright owners and duration.
A copyright.
I'm sure he is. Given that the song is still under copyright, if they are using it, they are paying a licensing/royalty fee. There are gorups out there that monitor this sort of thing, including the various artist and writers' guilds. It is in their best interests to ensure that no one violates copyright laws.
Wixen controls the song, and Columbia controls recordings.
Sugarland's best song is It Happens.
Closer than a Brother is a song written by C.S. Grogan, a gospel songwriter. The copyright date is 1957, and the song is about how Jesus is closer than a brother.
It almost certainly is. Any piece of work is copyright by the person who created it; they can choose to put it in the public domain or license it under a permissive license; and if they don't act to protect their copyright it can become diluted to the point that it is no longer enforceable. So there is a chance that the Nyan Cat song's copyright has lapsed, but it is not safe to assume that.
Yes; in fact there is a famous copyright case about its appearance in the Men at Work song "Down Under."
If you are not the composer of the song then you can NEVER take the copyright as yours; you would have to purchase it from the copyright owners. Also, when the copyright expires, 50 or more years after the author's death (or after publication, depending upon circumstances and national laws) it is no longer copyrighted at all and nobody can possibly own the copyright.
The song is still under copyright; the lyrics can't be provided here.
The song will be protected through 2050; recordings will be protected longer.
It varies from country to country, but in Bad Company's home country, copyright protection lasts for the life of the creator plus 70 years. Some countries have a slightly shorter term of life plus 50 years; others have longer terms. The song "Bad Company" is controlled by Warner Brothers.
Copyright was restored under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act; it is administered by SADAIC.
Gloomy Sunday will be protected through 2038; it is controlled by Warner-Chappell and Carlin America.
Even the titles of creative works are copyrighted and protected under copyright laws. If you use any part of a song, the title, lyrics, etc. in naming your band, you can be charged with copyright infringement.
Yep. All of Harlen's songs are under copyright
Yes, but certain arrangements, performances, and recordings may have their own protection.
The song itself is in the public domain, but certain editions, performances, and recordings may have their own protection.