CC License required?

[Guitar Edman]

Hi,

As a new user to Ninjam, Reaper as well as Shoutcast and Second Life I am awestruck by the capabilities all this software allows. I have many musicians that I have worked with over the years and we are hoping to work on commercial projects as well as just having fun using this software. I understand the need for a commercial license for commercial use and have no problem paying what I feel is a very fair price for this product. However, these are licensing related questions I have using this combination of software that I hope the community here can help me with:

1) I would like to replace the CC license that the server presents to the user upon connection with a welcome message and project specific instructions for the user. Is changing this message a violation of any other licenses or intents for the use of the software? Many of the projects planned are not for public consumption but are specific to the needs of my clients.
2) Will registering the commercial version provide registration for both the use of the server and client software or are multiple registrations required for the server, my own client software, as well as a need for the client registration those who enter into a commercial venture with me using Ninjam?
3) Because I have no way to enforce the use of registration of clients using the server could I be held responsible if the server is used for a commercial purpose and it is discovered that others (I AM DEFINITLY PLANNING TO REGISTER) did not use registered copies of the client software in the course of a commercial production?
4) Are there any liabilities involved in streaming these performances and our own produced music over Shoutcast and into Second Life that anyone is aware of? The reason I ask is it almost seems to easy but then it is our music and we should be able to do with it what we will. I see a lot of litigation going on right now over the use of Shoutcast radio streams and understand the need for regulation for unlicensed music but in this case we would hold all the rights I just want to be sure I will not be hit with any hidden licensing fees etc… later on down the line.

I hate sounding like an uptight jerk but I want to do this right and I want to protect myself and the people I am doing this with and for. If anyone can provide any insights it is definitely appreciated.

Thanks

[Justin]

Hello,

These are some good questions. I'm not a lawyer but I'll try to answer the best that I can.

The CC license for the NINJAM servers we run is on there so that we can keep copies of the content around, on autosong.ninjam.com, etc, without having to worry about someone coming back later saying "that's me, take that down".. If you run your own server, you can obviously do whatever you like-- having something in there that says that the people on there agree to A) let you stream their content via shoutcast and B) (you probably would want this to cover your ass) agree not to play any copyrighted recordings, would be a good idea. Other than that, I'd think you'd be OK on shoutcasting, as it would be all original recordings which shouldnt require paying royalties etc.

Regarding registering REAPER, etc, it's important to note the following:

A) The NINJAM server and standalone NINJAM clients are completely free to use.

B) REAPER has a free 30 day evaluation period during which clients can use it to see if it meets their needs.

C) If multiple people are using REAPER + NINJAM for a commercial venture, each user of REAPER should ideally purchase a commercial license. If the venture isn't strictly commercial, but has commercial potential, purchasing non-commercial licenses and subsequently upgrading to commercial (for the difference in price) once the venture turns commercial is encouraged.

I hope this helps..

[Guitar Edman]

Thank you very much that is extreemly helpful!