Re: copyright expiration as a spur to creativity

On 08, August 1998, Karsten M. Self <kmself[_at_]ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
> Pat Sloane <patsloane[_at_]aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, 04 Aug 1998, Karsten M. Self <kmself[_at_]ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > While I'd argue for a significant time period before permanent
> > > lapse of copyright to an author, preferably several years, my
> > > general feeling is that if the author cannot find a publisher
> > > willing to publish a work, then there probably is little or no
> > > commercial interest in it.
> >
> > Not so. I had a manuscript I tried very vigorously to sell, and
> > nobody wanted it. I put it away, and twenty years later a
> > publisher wanted it. This kind of thing is more common than not.
>
> This is a different situation. The manuscript was produced. It was
> solicited but not accepted and never published. Twenty years later,
> it was requested (and published?).
>
> The case we're discussing would require that your MS was published,
> then dropped from publication, while copyright was retained, for
> 20 years. This would effectively block anyone from making a copy of
> the work, though the holder of that right refused to utilize it.
> Most people on this list see this as an inequity.
>
> Original term of copyright was 28 years, so if your example was of a
> 30 year latency, and the work had been published in the first year,
> the publisher's copyright would have lapsed. Under current copyright
> law, the term of copyright would not expire until 50 years after your
> death.
>
> You wouldn't want your younger fans wishing you ill so that they could
> actually read your works before *they* died, because a copyright
> holder refused to publish?

How the hell does the publisher know whether there is any interest in it? I have ordered many books, and the orders came back "out of print". Does anyone at the publisher's know whether my order was placed? Do they care? It seems to me that far too much emphasis is placed on pop culture crap and not enough on truly valuable material. Too many drooling morons have been given positions as executives in publishing (and Hollywood). Never overestimate the intelligence of the American executive.

Michael A Scarpitti
Assistant Editor
Materials Evaluation
1711 Arlingate Lane
PO Box 28518
Columbus, Ohio 43228-0518
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614 274-6003 Ext 207
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<mscarpit[_at_]asnt.org> Received on Mon Aug 10 1998 - 13:15:44 GMT