Rights and ethics

16.1. The minimum rights gate

Before any adaptation is released, verify:

• the status of the underlying composition;
• the writer and status of the source lyric;
• existing translations and arrangements;

• permission to create derivative lyrics;
• mechanical, synchronization, master and performance permissions;
• work-for-hire agreements or split sheets;

• territory, term, media and sublicensing;
• the exact public credit line.

16.2. Public domain does not mean ownerless

Even when an old melody is in the public domain, a modern arrangement, translation, edition, recording or visual may be protected. The ethical duty is broader than the legal minimum: identify known sources, explain disputed provenance and never present a collective tradition as a private invention.

16.3. The rule against erasure

Every English release should display a clear chain:

Source tradition / original writers / English adaptation / arrangement / performance / production / rights status.

This is how a cultural bridge avoids repeating the history of Mbube▶, where worldwide success remained separated from recognition of the source writer for decades.