Copyright law is defined as Intellectual Property (IP) law that legally protects the ownership of original works (U.S. Copyright Office). Such works include literature, music, films, art, and software. The purpose of copyright is to guarantee the creator’s the ability to protect, monetize, and control their works. In order for a work to legally be protected by copyright, it must satisfy three requirements. 

• It must be copyrightable subject matter, such as literary works, music, recordings, choreography.

• It must be original - it’s copyrightable as long as the creator made the work without copying it.

• It must be "fixed by a tangible medium," meaning the creation is either written down, recorded, or in physical or digital form (U.S. Copyright Office). 

Copyright stimulates the formation of new work. By providing a legal framework, copyright law incentivizes creativity since it guarantees the authors' creations are protected and they may profit from their content, which promotes the originality of new work. It also facilitates economic value because copyright enables the owners to grant usage rights of their work in media, advertising, and entertainment, among other uses. Additionally, copyright law protects against misuse, thereby protecting the creator from others copying or exploiting their work and protecting the originality and integrity of the created work. When a work is copyrighted, there are six exclusive rights granted to artists over, which allow them to control how their work may be used, be recognized, and financially benefit from their work. These rights are: 

● Reproduction: Copies of copyrighted works. 

● Distribution: Give/sell copies of copyrighted works to others. 

● Preparation of derivative works: Modifying and creating a new and different version of the copyrighted work. 

● Public performance: This varies depending on the work, in this case, publicly playing the recording. Other cases include literary works–reading the book aloud, for a video game or software, it would be running it.

● Publicly Display: Allowing the public to see work in person or on the internet. 

● Digital performance: Public performance via digital media (streaming, internet, satellite, radio) (U.S. Copyright Office).

For DJs, the exclusive rights that may affect them most are reproduction, preparation of derivative works, and public performance: 

● Reproduction Rights: When DJs use a section of a recorded song in their sets or uploaded tracks (i.e., a sample) they need a license from the copyright owners of the musical works and sound recording because even the smallest part of the track is deemed to replicate the song.  

● Derivative Works: When DJs create a new version of an existing song through remixes and mashups. DJs need permission from the copyright owner (in the form of a license) to lawfully produce that derivative work or alter versions.  

● Public Performance: DJs who play music created or recorded by others in public events, such as clubs or festivals, need a public performance license. These licenses are usually obtained by venues from companies like The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), or Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) that deal with royalties for copyright owners. DJs who upload their performances or mixes online may, however, require other licenses if they intend to share their works on platforms like YouTube or Spotify. 

When any of these exclusive rights are violated, copyright infringement has occurred. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of any work protected under copyright, and the copyright owner has not granted permission to use the copyrighted material. Infringement can be punishable by fines, lawsuits, or removal of the infringing material (Copyright Infringement and Remedies). Literal copying involves the use of a direct sample of a song in another recording, while non-literal copying involves the use of distinct components of other recordings, such as melody or rhythm in a new composition. Both types can amount to infringement if they are 'substantially similar' to the work in question. 

One example of the complexity of using copyright law for DJs is the famous 2018 track, 'Happier,' by Marshmello. Another electronic music producer, Arty, accused Marshmello of copying a synthesizer melody from his remix of OneRepublic's 'I Lived' in 2014. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed Arty's claim, holding that Arty had no ownership of the copyright of the remix because he created it under a contract with Interscope Records in which he agreed he had no “ownership or financial interest in the underlying musical composition” (Donahue). The Ninth Circuit elaborated that the "Drop Melody" was an integral part of the original, used in the remix master, and because Stoliarov disclaimed any interest in this composition, he could not bring a claim for copyright infringement (ARTEM STOLIAROV v. MARSHMELLO CREATIVE, LLC). This decision reveals a critical point in copyright law: if DJs or producers use music created by others in a remix, they may not have copyrights in that remix.