Re: [dvd-discuss] Eldred Amicus

["Michael A Rolenz" <Michael.A.Rolenz(at)aero.org>]

That's another area of copyright law that needs to be reviewed, revised 
and reformed. Derivative works should be sequels, screenplays or plays 
from novels or vice versa, radio adaptions, toys, comic books, new revised 
editions. The essense of this is TRANSFORMATION. There should be some 
transformation in the derivative work. Adding new footage to an old work 
doesn't transform it. It's more like having a second edition of a book 
where somebody adds a new page to each chapter. OTOH, if someone takes a 
NEW SPecial 150th anniversay of Starwars produced in UltraExtremeDVD 
format with new rediscovered footage never before seen that was buried in 
the Lucus Time Capsule at the  INdustrial Light and Magic Shrine and edits 
all of that out to produce "StarWars-The Original Version" it should not 
be infringment NOR should it qualify for a copyright of its own. 
OTherwise, we are back to the perpetual copyright problem....well...every 
field has it's problems. In CS there's the halting problem. In math, there 
was Fermat's last theorum. Maybe here we have the perpetual copyright 
problem




Ernest Miller <ernest.miller@aya.yale.edu>
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05/30/2002 09:32 AM
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Michael A Rolenz wrote:
> Oh...but he would argue that he's had all this time to work on it and 
> perfect it. Aren't you just jumping for joy? Actually even with a 28yr 
> term he's still have 3 more yrs to work on it. With a 50 yrs term he can 

> finish it up using his social security and pension ;-)

But he's not finished it yet.  Remember the "Special Editions"?  Rumor 
has it that Jar Jar will be added to Episode 4 and Queen/Senator will be 
added to Episode 6 (I kid you not, though this is only rumor).  Every 
new edition will get a new copyright.


> 
> Richard Hartman <hartman@onetouch.com>
> Sent by: owner-dvd-discuss@eon.law.harvard.edu
> 05/30/2002 09:18 AM
> Please respond to dvd-discuss
> 
> 
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>         Subject:        RE: [dvd-discuss] Eldred Amicus
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> 
> Actually Star Wars is an argument for shorter terms.
> 
> If Lucas were facing a shorter term on his creation,
> he might've finished the $(!@ series by now!
>