Q: Would praise and worship lyrics (non-humorous IMO) sung to secular music still fall under parody or fair use protection?
The lyrics generally follow the same rhythm very closely, but I can't say the words always match the original in basic sounds even 30% of the time. I've done this solely for myself and not for profit, but I only recently learned of Fair Use and would like to legally share my passion with others having similar interests. I figure LA would be the strictest location, but I can modify as needed.
A: That is a complicated question to which you should seek the advice of an experienced copyright attorney. A discussion of the Fair Use doctrine can be found online. See: Elliott Epstein, Esq., and Andrew Zulieve, Esq., "The Fair Use Doctrine: Commercial Misappropriation and Market Diversion."
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