Re: Copyright of laws (was: Copyright over the Internet)

From: John J. Norris <JOHNN[_at_]Tiger.Hsc.Edu>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 09:26:30 -0500

Terry Carroll, carrollt[_at_]netcom.com, of Santa Clara, CA

   replied (and left me confused):

>However, it is up to each nation to determine if such works are
>copyrighted, even if they originate in another nation. In the U.S., for
>example, the view is that no law is copyrighted, whether it's a lowly
>municipal regulation, or a statute of another nation. This is regardless
>of whether the statute enjoys copyright protection in its native country.

I thought the Berne Convention set an international standard for duration of copyright based on the native country's domestic copyright laws. If the Berne does give UK copyright law teeth in the US, then the UK copyright law itself is copyrighted under US law. And if it is copyrighted, how can another US statute change that?

BTW, if UK copyright law is copyrighted, does that also apply to the look and feel of thier legislation? :~)

Good Luck,

John J.Norris, MLS JOHNN[_at_]TIGER.HSC.EDU Media Librarian
Hampden-Sydney College

"Our whole American way of life is a great war of ideas, and librarians are the arms dealers selling weapons to both sides."

                                                from:   James Quinn

Quinn[_at_]Gonzaga.edu Received on Thu Nov 17 1994 - 14:31:05 GMT