Perpetual Copyright

Eric Eldred is a former coworker who is now a small Internet publisher of public domain literature (http://www.eldritchpress.org/). In 1998 while Eric was preparing to publish material then passing into the public domain Congress passed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act which added 20 more years to existing copyrights. Eric and others challenged the law in court.The challenge lost and was appealed, lost and was appealed again. Eric today receives his hearing before the Supreme Court of the United States. In support of Eric I hereby publish this copyrighted poem by Robert Frost that would today be in the public domain but for the power corporate America, Disney and MGM primary among them, exerted upon legislative action.

In a Disused Graveyard ​ by Robert Frost ​ The living come with grassy tread To read the gravestones on the hill; The graveyard draws the living still, But never anymore the dead. ​ The verses in it say and say: "The ones who living come today To read the stones and go away Tomorrow dead will come to stay." ​ So sure of death the marbles rhyme, Yet can't help marking all the time How no one dead will seem to come. What is it men are shrinking from? ​ It would be easy to be clever And tell the stones: Men hate to die And have stopped dying now forever. I think they would believe the lie.

--Percy

This is off Percy's topic, but the thread's name suits just fine. anyway--I want to ask you guys, where can I get the copyright fo translating evolution articles from the 40s--60s (Modern Synthesis times)? I am currently translating Dobzhansky's 'Nothing in Biology Makes Sense except in the Light of Evolution' and GG Simpson's '100 Years Without Darwin are Enough' for an upcoming publication, and they want to know how to settle the articles' copyrights.Also looking for short articles from MS-time evos (Mayr, Julian Huxley, Ronald Fisher, etc.)

Sorry I can't help you with your question, but I *do* have an update on Eric's case. A few weeks ago the Supreme Court rejected Eric's challenge and allowed the 20 year extension of copyright protection to survive. This means that 20 years from now Disney will again be petitioning Congress for protection to prevent Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain - I hope the result is different next time.--Percy

Obviously the courts are going to side with the large corporations. I'm a big fan of project gutenberg and free text but we are a society driven by capitalism.A video distributor I frequent has found a way to make money off of our Copyright laws. Video Search of Miami takes foreign movies which haven't been released in the US and sells them online. The movie companies will see fit to impose permanent copyrights once their films mature to a legal age of being freely distributed. It's only a matter of time.