3 ms·

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