Re: [dvd-discuss] Public Domain Enhancement Bill

["Roy Murphy" <murphy(at)panix.com>]

'twas brillig when Roy Murphy scrobe:
>  There's a big downside to this bill for copyright holders which would
>  preclude Disney or any other media company from signing on.
>
>  The Berne Convention has recriprocal copyright terms. US works are
>  protected in Berne countries only as long as the US protects the works
>  of those countries *without formalities*. If 50 years is all you get
>  without formalities, then 50 years is all US works will get protection
>  for under Berne. Thus a copyright renewal will only buy you protection
>  in the US. It buys no protection anywhere else

OK. I'm an idiot. I finally read the bill at
http://www.eldred.cc/eablog/TheBill.pdf . It only applies to US works,
not International ones which get the full Berne protection of life plus
70 or 95 years.


Roy Murphy        CSpice: A Mailing List for Clergy Spouses
murphy@panix.com   http://www.panix.com/~murphy/CSpice.html