To make amends for a recent lapse in judgement, I was digging through the Audio Portal to see if some recent uploaders would kindly give away that they plagiarized somebody else's work. I decided to branch out to and try some other search terms, such as the somewhat outdated all rights reserved. (Copyright law in most countries no longer requires such notices, but the phrase persists.)
The overly liberal use of legal speak* on this submission here made me suspect that "something shady" is going on and I wanted to share it with you, because it is such an unusual catch:
Copyright Notice – [Title Here]
Title: [Title Here]
Author: [Their Name Here]
Release Platform: Newgrounds (for use in Geometry Dash)
Release Date: [28/04/25]
This track was composed and produced by [Their Name Here]. All rights reserved.
Usage in Geometry Dash:
"[Title Here]" is intended for use in a custom level within Geometry Dash. Players are allowed to use this track in their levels within the game, as long as proper credit is given to [Their Name Here] and the original Newgrounds link is referenced.
License Terms:
This music is protected under copyright law. Outside of Geometry Dash and Newgrounds, no reproduction, redistribution, remixing, or commercial use is allowed without the explicit written permission of the author.
Contact:
If you wish to use this track for other purposes (YouTube videos, games, animations, etc.), please contact [Their Name Here] via Newgrounds private message.
Note: This is not a royalty-free or public domain track. Unauthorized use is prohibited.
I have never seen a regular artist building up such a huge legal cover for their work. There's not a single word about the actual submission in all of that legal speak. And of course, their lack of prior publications or accounts, their "I am only here for that one user"-fan account, favorite-ing "their" own work, together with their laser-focus on a certain game makes them extra-suspicious.
At the time of writing, I have not reported the submission in question, but please feel free to do just that if you can confirm my suspicions.
