copyright question for PC World article

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Hello!

I saw your name on the copyright FAQ, and am hoping you can assist me.

I am a contributing writer to PC World Egypt magazine, working on a short article about a specific copyright concern. (I will be working on a longer article about international copyrights next month as well.)

Towards that end, I would like to ask you a question. Your answer may be on or off the record, as you see fit -- and I will respect your right to anonymity should you choose to remain anonymous. (Or, if you'd rather grab some more fame, I'll gladly include your name in the article.)

The question is: what happens to copyright, specificially of software, when the company who owns the copyright goes out of business? If the copyright holder cannot be contacted, is there any feasible way to ask for permission to copy?

When a company (especially a small one) ceases to operate, I assume there may be a liquidation of assets, and some copyrights may be transferred during such liquidation. Is this recorded anywhere in particular? If there is no such transfer, and the original copyright holder (the company) ceases to exist, is there even still a copyright?

Thanks in advance for helping me clear this up.

Yours,

Warren S. Apel
PC World Egypt
warren-pcw[_at_]esquilax.com Received on Fri Feb 26 1999 - 10:48:01 GMT