Ahhh, copyright law... one of the hottest topics for guitarists and one of my pet subjects. :)

Originally Posted by: jimmy_kwtxCan't you just pull a "Vanilla Ice"?

Make sure you do not post anything exactly note for note and you can always say it is not "exactly" like the original. Remember Under Pressure vs. Ice Ice Baby. What, a 1 note difference in the bass line?

Again in 1990 both MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice released records. MC Hammer sampled' Superfreak' after obtaining a licence and although he had to pay out a large but undisclosed amount of expenses to the original artist, the record was a hit and he encountered no problems. Vanilla Ice however sampled the most identifiable riffs from David Bowie and Queen's song 'Under Pressure' for his only hit from his LP entitled 'In The Extreme'. The samples however were not licensed or even credited. As it is generally accepted that readily identifiable riffs or hooks in a song are what generates the sales, the similarity of Vanilla's track to the original would lead it to compete directly. The case never went to trial, although it is believed that after a threatened law suit from 'Under Pressure's' copyright owners Vanilla Ice settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. When the single 'Under Pressure' was re-released in 1992 by Queen, notes on the sleeve credited David Bowie and pointed out that the piano and bass had featured on Vanilla Ice's single. It would seem that Queen do not want other people to profit from their work, but do not mind using other peoples work to promote their own. This just shows the low esteem the users of samplers are held in.

(from http://www.low-life.fsnet.co.uk/copyright/part3.htm)

Also:

As for the bass player, bass lines are commonly the very simple repetition of just a few notes, hardly worthy of being called a melody. On the other hand, some bass virtuosos like Charles Mingus or Jack Bruce created very original and complex melodies, clearly entitled to being registered for copyright. Whether a particular bass player makes a contribution to a particular song that could be entitled to copyright protection must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

(from http://www.jacobowitz.com/whowroteit.htm

Interesting article to read