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I find it fascinating that prior to the Copyright Act of 1976, any work without the correct copyright notice would automatically enter the public domain. In th
by betamaxthetape 7y ago
I find it fascinating that prior to the Copyright Act of 1976, any work without the correct copyright notice would automatically enter the public domain.
In this case, it's interesting to see how the incentives for preventing such a mistake are skewed. It was the responsibility of the distributor to ensure the correct copyright notice, but they stood to gain when they didn't (and reportedly[1] kept all of the profits).
[1] https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/10/10/how-a-copyright-mistake-created-the-modern-zombie/ https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/10/10/how-a-copyright-m...
- ghaff 7y agoWhat you're describing is the basic argument against orphan works legislature of various types. Disney won't forget to renew. But lots of individual authors and their estates will and the big corporations will sweep in and profit. Not saying I endorse that view--especially with reasonably long protections prior to renewal--but that's the argument.