[QuadList] OT: this article 'Supreme Court Says Congress May Re-Copyright Public Domain Works':

[Ted Langdell]

(Please remember to mark subjects OT—Off Topic—when it doesn't have anything to do with Quad Videotape and closely related subjects.  Makes it easier for folks to sort what they choos read according to content.  I'll make more effort to do the same and set a good example.  Thanks.  Ted)

The decision has to do with Congress aligning US copyright of foreign works with the Berne Convention, to which the US is a signatory. 

The American Bar Association's page, with the background briefs and arguments is here:
http://www.americanbar.org/publications/preview_home/10-545.html

A more informative story than the Wired one might be this one from Bloomberg:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-23/copyrights-on-foreign-works-upheld-by-u-s-supreme-court.html

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal copyright-extension law that removed millions of foreign-produced books, movies and musical pieces from the public domain.

The 6-2 ruling, issued today in Washington, will affect rights to works by Alfred Hitchcock, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and J.R.R. Tolkien. The decision is a victory for the film and music industries and a setback for Google Inc., which may lose access to materials for its digital-book project under the law.

The justices rejected arguments from orchestra conductors, educators, performers, film archivists and movie distributors. They argued that the 1994 law violates the constitutional provision that lets Congress set up a copyright system, as well as the Constitution’s free-speech guarantee.

The case is Golan v. Holder, 10-545.

Washington Post has coverage here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-copyright-can-be-extended-to-foreign-works-once-in-public-domain/2012/01/18/gIQAbqbr8P_story.html


On Jan 22, 2012, at 9:22 PM, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote:
> this is curious.....   actually... this reeks!  Ed#  
> this article 'Supreme Court Says Congress May Re-Copyright Public Domain Works':
> 
> http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-re-copyright-decision/


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