Atticus - 4:31 am on May 25, 2005 (gmt 0)

Beethoven's Choral Symphony is in the public domain.

A recent recording of that symphony, by say, the Berlin Philharmonic, would retain copyright protection throughout the term mandated by laws of various nations.

You can whistle the Ode to Joy all you want. You can record yourself playing it on a kazoo. You could rerelease a recording of the work made before, say, 1923.

But you can't use the recent recording by the Berlin Philharmonic without permission.

And that's the name of that tune.

And no, I'm not a lawyer -- the dates may be off a hair or there may be international treaties barring the playing of lovely, lovely Ludwig Von on an instrument made of plastic and celophane, but you get the general idear...