Top of the props: patents and music
It is well known that patents are an exclusive right granted for inventions, namely, products and processes which are new, inventive, and provided with industrial application. When it comes to music, original compositions are commonly protected by copyright or trademarks (the latter being only possible in the countries where the registration of sound marks is allowed).
Even though musical creations do not represent the kind of innovation that patent laws are designed to protect, the steps of creating, recording, listening or streaming and performing music is complex and can comprise patentable products and processes within it.
Creating music
Creating music is much more than songwriting, after all, there are many songs without words. To structure melody, harmony, and rhythm in a way to create new sounds, new musical instruments or new plug-ins can be developed, as well as structures that allow the use of an existing instrument in a different way.
In this sense, Eddie Van Halen improved his fretboard tapping technique by creating a supporting device for stringed musical instruments which was patented in 1987. The support would place the instrument perpendicular to the player's body, allowing total freedom of the musician’s hands to play the instrument in a completely new way.
