3 ms·

It's not possible to renounce copyrights in the US; they're inalienable rights. The only way to get something in the public domain is for the copyright term to

It's not possible to renounce copyrights in the US; they're inalienable rights. The only way to get something in the public domain is for the copyright term to pass... and even then there are problems (see the Sherlock Holmes saga).

dahart 10y ago
Copyrights are transferrable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#Transfer_and_licensing.2C_and_assignment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#Transfer_and_licensi... Are you maybe thinking of Moral Rights? Those are inalienable and not transferrable in many countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights Copyrights are also assigned automatically to the creator by the act of creating something, that might also be what you were thinking of.
E6300 10y ago
I don't think this is actually true. Can you cite any sources referring to copyright as inalienable in the US?
- mdpopescu 10y ago
  My bad. In the first place, what I meant is that you can't give up copyright - you can't say "this work is in the public domain". (Or rather, you can, but there's nothing legally preventing you from saying a year later "I changed my mind".) See http://www.rosenlaw.com/lj16.htm http://www.rosenlaw.com/lj16.htm However, "inalienable" was incorrect - you can most definitely sell your copyright. Second, apparently I was wrong even then: see https://cr.yp.to/publicdomain.html https://cr.yp.to/publicdomain.html Face, meet egg.
  - imajes 10y ago
    just to clarify because i think you sort of said you were wrong but i'm not entirely sure... if i read 17 U.S. Code § 201 (d) clearly, it suggests you can transfer ownership of copyright in any normal legal way of executing a contract. I think your confusion is around the idea of works falling into the public domain via expiry of copyright, and/or works that do not have an explicit declaration of rights ownership. In this case it seems she was pretty clear about her transfer of ownership. I don't believe you can rescind that just as you prefer, at any time. see https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201

dahart 10y ago

Copyrights are transferrable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#Transfer_and_licensing.2C_and_assignment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#Transfer_and_licensi... Are you maybe thinking of Moral Rights? Those are inalienable and not transferrable in many countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_rights Copyrights are also assigned automatically to the creator by the act of creating something, that might also be what you were thinking of.

E6300 10y ago

I don't think this is actually true. Can you cite any sources referring to copyright as inalienable in the US?

mdpopescu 10y ago
My bad. In the first place, what I meant is that you can't give up copyright - you can't say "this work is in the public domain". (Or rather, you can, but there's nothing legally preventing you from saying a year later "I changed my mind".) See http://www.rosenlaw.com/lj16.htm http://www.rosenlaw.com/lj16.htm However, "inalienable" was incorrect - you can most definitely sell your copyright. Second, apparently I was wrong even then: see https://cr.yp.to/publicdomain.html https://cr.yp.to/publicdomain.html Face, meet egg.
- imajes 10y ago
  just to clarify because i think you sort of said you were wrong but i'm not entirely sure... if i read 17 U.S. Code § 201 (d) clearly, it suggests you can transfer ownership of copyright in any normal legal way of executing a contract. I think your confusion is around the idea of works falling into the public domain via expiry of copyright, and/or works that do not have an explicit declaration of rights ownership. In this case it seems she was pretty clear about her transfer of ownership. I don't believe you can rescind that just as you prefer, at any time. see https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201