Re: Snooze/lose (Was: Academics and coursepacks)

On Thu, 27 Aug 1998, Michael Bradley <michael[_at_]vision-soft.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, 26 Aug 1998, Bernard Katz <bkatz[_at_]uoguelph.ca> wrote:
> >
> > In fact, it has already been argued persuasively in this regard
> > that opening up the potential for publication by bringing works into
> > the public domain at a *earlier* stage than life + 50 is much more
> > likely to result in more titles becoming available to the public
> > than by extending the term of protection still further!
>
> If you mean it's been argued on this list, all that I recall is a
> report that when a certain classic US novel (I forget which one) went
> into the public domain, several publishers issued new editions. But
> the same report said that the original publisher's sales dropped in
> half. So all that shows is the profits from publishing the work were
> spread around, not that the overall number of copies sold increased.

The arguement that I have read (not necessarily on this list) and found persuasive is that releasing the monopoly hold on publishing the work and hence the need for royalty payment to the heirs of the author, or to the copyright holder likely will spur competition among publishers. Some also are likely to be interested in a work that has been selling even at low levels, and may place added value in a new publication by providing an introduction, special notes, etc. (all of which would of course carry copyright protection). Further, works that may have had but marginal potential for sales while under copyright will be viewed by publishers in a more receptive light for risking publication, even as straight reprints with no added value elements, once they are in the public domain. Several examples can be found merely by perusing Books In Print and looking for multiple editions of classics - modern and old, aa well as titles with very limited sales potential, such as poetry.

Cheers,

Bernard Katz, Head, Special Collections and Library Development McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph, Guelph ON Canada N1G 2W1 and Chair, Ontario Library Association Copyright Action Committee bkatz[_at_]uoguelph.ca // (519) 824-4120 X2089 // FAX: (519) 824-6931 Received on Fri Aug 28 1998 - 23:11:08 GMT