https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/when-transcribing-a-public-domain-music-piece-is-t-5413379.html https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/when-transcribing-a-publi.

https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/when-transcribing-a-public-domain-music-piece-is-t-5413379.html https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/when-transcribing-a-publi... Here's some discussion on the matter that indicates that a transcription can be, but a lot of what I've seen is much like the rest of copyright, and it's a hot mess and very specific to what the circumstances are. The "might have a claim" about that topic in my original post is pulling a lot of weight for me.