singing a line from a copyrighted song

[Andre LeBlanc]

Hello,

 

I'm working on a short film script where one of the characters sings a single line from a well known song, but he parodies it by changing some words. If the words to the song line are changed, is it still a copyright infringement-- also keeping in mind that he just sings one line. This seems like a gray area to me.

 

Any thoughts on this are greatly appreciated!

[Jim Keller]

I'm working on a short film script where one of the characters sings a single line from a well known song, but he parodies it by changing some words. If the words to the song line are changed, is it still a copyright infringement-- also keeping in mind that he just sings one line. This seems like a gray area to me.

 

You could make a case for what is known as "fair use." This is a doctrine that allows you to use excerpts from copyrighted material for critical or satirical purposes.

 

However, as you mention, this is a gray area, so it's probably best to get permission. With a few exceptions (the copyright owners of "Happy Birthday" being the most obvious), most authors repped by ASCAP/BMI are very reasonable about cutting breaks for starving artists.