Friday, November 12, 2004
I need a copy of public domain * for dummies. I keep getting confused. Books, movies, audio, different rules? Mickey not public domain?
Something about 50 years after the death of the author before the berne convention was signed in 76, or the copyright act was amended in 86. So roughly 1922 for most books. And some stuff after that. And some movies. But obviously I don't know.
But here's an idea for the bono camp - go to a small island nation. Tonga's hungry these days. Get a law passed such that copyright is forever. Authorize bounty hunting, extradition by kidnapping, and penalties up to capital punishment. Then assert jurisdiction over the internet. It worked for tennessee.
Law - One Internet, Many Copyright Laws
"One Internet, Many Copyright Laws" is the headline to this economics column today in the NY Times. The length of time before copyrighted material moves into the public domain varies from country to country. A book posted on the web by a resident of a country where the book's copyright has expired may be viewed by readers in a country where the book's copyright period is longer. For instance:
PROJECT GUTENBERG, the volunteer effort to put the world's literature online, may be the latest victim in the Internet battle over copyright.
Earlier this year, the Australian affiliate of Project Gutenberg posted the 1936 novel "Gone With the Wind" on its Web site for downloading at no charge. Last week, after an e-mail message was sent to the site by the law firm representing the estate of the book's author, Margaret Mitchell, the hyperlink to the text turned into a "Page Not Found'' dead end.
At issue is the date when "Gone With the Wind" enters the public domain. In the United States, under an extension of copyright law, "Gone With the Wind'' will not enter the public domain until 2031, 95 years after its original publication.
But in Australia, as in a handful of other places, the book was free of copyright restrictions in 1999, 50 years after Mitchell's death.
The case is one more example of the Internet's inherent lack of respect for national borders or, from another view, the world's lack of reckoning for the international nature of the Internet, and it is also an example of the already complicated range of copyright laws.
The issue of national sovereignty over the Internet has not been firmly established, either by trade agreement or by court precedent, some legal experts say, and conflicts continue to be settled individually. But there are much bigger copyright battles looming as more material, including songs by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, approach public domain in countries around the world.
Posted by Marcia Oddi at November 8, 2004 08:17 PM
# The work was created and first published before January 1, 1923, or at least 95 years before January 1 of the current year, whichever is later.
# The last surviving author died at least 70 years before January 1 of the current year. so, dead by 1933 or written before 1923. so the trick is to figure out who died
in 1934 and 1935 and be prepared to rush their books to market in internet editions or cheapass shovelware, with january 2 as the release date.
Mickey and Peter Pan are public domain in canada and austrailia, but not online.
Published from 1923 - 63 When published with notice3 28 years + could be renewed for 47 years, now extended by 20 years for a total renewal of 67 years. If not so renewed, now in public domain
Now that's interesting! So lots of SF stuff may not have had copyright renewed, and could be republished. No idea how to sort out which is which. Not gonan buy the $100 manual that offers to tell more.
Something about 50 years after the death of the author before the berne convention was signed in 76, or the copyright act was amended in 86. So roughly 1922 for most books. And some stuff after that. And some movies. But obviously I don't know.
But here's an idea for the bono camp - go to a small island nation. Tonga's hungry these days. Get a law passed such that copyright is forever. Authorize bounty hunting, extradition by kidnapping, and penalties up to capital punishment. Then assert jurisdiction over the internet. It worked for tennessee.
Law - One Internet, Many Copyright Laws
"One Internet, Many Copyright Laws" is the headline to this economics column today in the NY Times. The length of time before copyrighted material moves into the public domain varies from country to country. A book posted on the web by a resident of a country where the book's copyright has expired may be viewed by readers in a country where the book's copyright period is longer. For instance:
PROJECT GUTENBERG, the volunteer effort to put the world's literature online, may be the latest victim in the Internet battle over copyright.
Earlier this year, the Australian affiliate of Project Gutenberg posted the 1936 novel "Gone With the Wind" on its Web site for downloading at no charge. Last week, after an e-mail message was sent to the site by the law firm representing the estate of the book's author, Margaret Mitchell, the hyperlink to the text turned into a "Page Not Found'' dead end.
At issue is the date when "Gone With the Wind" enters the public domain. In the United States, under an extension of copyright law, "Gone With the Wind'' will not enter the public domain until 2031, 95 years after its original publication.
But in Australia, as in a handful of other places, the book was free of copyright restrictions in 1999, 50 years after Mitchell's death.
The case is one more example of the Internet's inherent lack of respect for national borders or, from another view, the world's lack of reckoning for the international nature of the Internet, and it is also an example of the already complicated range of copyright laws.
The issue of national sovereignty over the Internet has not been firmly established, either by trade agreement or by court precedent, some legal experts say, and conflicts continue to be settled individually. But there are much bigger copyright battles looming as more material, including songs by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, approach public domain in countries around the world.
Posted by Marcia Oddi at November 8, 2004 08:17 PM
# The work was created and first published before January 1, 1923, or at least 95 years before January 1 of the current year, whichever is later.
# The last surviving author died at least 70 years before January 1 of the current year. so, dead by 1933 or written before 1923. so the trick is to figure out who died
in 1934 and 1935 and be prepared to rush their books to market in internet editions or cheapass shovelware, with january 2 as the release date.
Mickey and Peter Pan are public domain in canada and austrailia, but not online.
Published from 1923 - 63 When published with notice3 28 years + could be renewed for 47 years, now extended by 20 years for a total renewal of 67 years. If not so renewed, now in public domain
Now that's interesting! So lots of SF stuff may not have had copyright renewed, and could be republished. No idea how to sort out which is which. Not gonan buy the $100 manual that offers to tell more.
Comments:
Post a Comment
