# Stealing Song titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 30, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783 "2009-07-30T16:25:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cazzolina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@cazzolina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cazzolina)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/1 "2009-07-30T16:25:02Z")
I think “No Reply” would have been the appropriate response ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/2 "2009-07-31T00:05:14Z")
A link to the column you’re commenting on is appreciated. This appears to be the one: [How come people steal song titles and nothing happens? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/132/how-come-people-steal-song-titles-and-nothing-happens) bibliophage moderator CCC ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/3 "2009-07-31T02:07:06Z")
> [@Cecil Adams](#): > > When someone steals the title of a song that’s several years old, usually there’s not enough money involved to make a lawsuit an attractive proposition. With movies and some books, however, there’s a lot more at stake. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) can be somewhat picky about titles that are similar but far from identical. The 1998 movie _Playing by Heart_ had an original title of _Dancing About Architecture_ but this was vetoed because of the release in the same year of _Dancing at Lughnasa_. See [this 2005 piece](http://www.slate.com/id/2118602/) from Slate Magazine for this and other fascinating details concerning similar and exact duplicate movie titles. In 2000 _Dancing at the Blue Iguana_ passed MPAA scrutiny unmolested, presumably because the two year time lapse rendered the title uncontentious. While this is not the forum for unsolicited opinions unsupported by facts, I think anyone who believes the title _Dancing About Architecture_ can detract from, or be confused with _Dancing at Lughnasa_, needs to recalibrate his parameters for detraction and confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/4 "2009-07-31T18:35:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Stealing Song titles I hate it when that happens. I was just listening to a song on the radio, but the DJ was unable to tell me what it was - he said someone stole the title, so now we just have to call it “Bop bop, be, bop”.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/5 "2009-08-08T21:43:44Z")
A propos [How come people steal song titles and nothing happens? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/132/how-come-people-steal-song-titles-and-nothing-happens) I was once in a bookstore (it was a science-fiction bookstore on Chambers St., just west of W. Broadway in NYC) and saw two books with the same title sitting next to each other on a shelf. The title was “Sideshow” and one of the authors was Sherri Tepper and the other was a man whose name also began with “Te”. I thought is was bizarre, but I since found out that titles cannot be copyrighted. I imagine there are hundreds, if not thousands of books simply called “Calculus”. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/6 "2009-08-08T21:47:22Z")
A propos [How come people steal song titles and nothing happens? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/132/how-come-people-steal-song-titles-and-nothing-happens) I was once in a bookstore (it was a science-fiction bookstore on Chambers St., just west of W. Broadway in NYC) and saw two books with the same title sitting next to each other on a shelf. The title was “Sideshow” and one of the authors was Sherri Tepper and the other was a man whose name also began with “Te”. I thought is was bizarre, but I since found out that titles cannot be copyrighted. I imagine there are hundreds, if not thousands of books simply called “Calculus”. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/7 "2009-08-09T15:43:41Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) can be somewhat picky about titles that are similar but far from identical. The 1998 movie _Playing by Heart_ had an original title of _Dancing About Architecture_ but this was vetoed because of the release in the same year of _Dancing at Lughnasa_. See [this 2005 piece](http://www.slate.com/id/2118602/) from Slate Magazine for this and other fascinating details concerning similar and exact duplicate movie titles. > > In 2000 _Dancing at the Blue Iguana_ passed MPAA scrutiny unmolested, presumably because the two year time lapse rendered the title uncontentious. > > While this is not the forum for unsolicited opinions unsupported by facts, I think anyone who believes the title _Dancing About Architecture_ can detract from, or be confused with _Dancing at Lughnasa_, needs to recalibrate his parameters for detraction and confusion. I dunno. In 1996 there was a movie _Crash_ directed by Cronenberg and another in 2004 by Haggis. When the latter got all the Oscar fuss, I went to Netflix and checked out the only one there at the time, Cronenberg’s. Confused the hell out of me, it did. Perhaps MPAA figured eight years was enough time to prevent confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stealing-song-titles/504783/8 "2009-08-09T20:20:57Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I dunno. In 1996 there was a movie _Crash_ directed by Cronenberg and another in 2004 by Haggis. When the latter got all the Oscar fuss, I went to Netflix and checked out the only one there at the time, Cronenberg’s. Confused the hell out of me, it did. Perhaps MPAA figured eight years was enough time to prevent confusion. While I don’t have the same problem with the Dancing Movies as the MPAA did, because they are really so dissimilar in title, I do believe the organisation should veto the use of any exact title previously released. Like, ever. Surely it’s not beyond the wit of man to invent something new that still appeals to the marketplace.