> If I take someone's melody and stretch a few tones, that doesn't really make it a different melody as viewed by law or society in general. You are literally

> If I take someone's melody and stretch a few tones, that doesn't really make it a different melody as viewed by law or society in general. You are literally describing the technique by which Western polyphony developed new melodies! For centuries composers took the exact intervals of a pre-existing popular melody, had one singer sing it at a glacial pace, then had one or more other singers fill in the gaps with new sprightly melodies. For example, consider: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_L%27homme_arm%C3%A9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_L%27homme_arm%C3%A9 Same title, same exact super-slow melody (a.k.a. cantus firmus), yet no plagiarism in the sense you're using it. Josquin's mensural canon[1] flies out of neverminder's nostril at the last possible moment: Go go go! Goooooo! Go Go! neverminder sneezes 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_L%27homme_arm%C3%A9_super_voces_musicales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_L%27homme_arm%C3%A9_supe...