Re: [dvd-discuss] Specific ironies of the CTEA

["John Zulauf" <johnzu(at)ia.nsc.com>]

.002 (aka John Zulauf) scribbled in haste
 
> > "Life-plus" pseudo randomly withholds and releases
> > works based on the age of the author when the work was created and when
> > the author dies (with such arbitrary elements as accident (Aliyah, and
> > "the day the music died"), war (Glenn Miller), the quality of local
> > health care (Jim Henson), personal mental health care (Kurt Cobain),
> > parental sanity (Marvin Gaye), assassination (Selena) among many
> > others.  How one purports to promote progress with this plethora of
> > unpredictabilities, uncertainties, and unequal rewards is imponderable.

Ronald Austin wrote:
> Wouldn't the copyrights of these "Dead" people be held by the record company
> if they were still under contract when they died? If so then the copyright
> wouldn't expire for 95 years or am I missing something?

I believe that 95 years is only for "works for hire".  Yes, any works
done for hire will expire uniformly after 95 years, but works done on
the authors own dime get life+70 (under CTEA).

My purpose in point all of this out was to refute the USSC's comment to
Lessig that striking down the CTEA would create havoc for administration
and the release of works into the public domain.  The havoc was created
be the congress and only uniform duration (of whatever length) can
clarify it.

.002