>
> USA copyright law is somewhat different from other nations' and from the
> international version. But: basically:
>
>
>
> -copyright is good for the author's life plus 75 years
>
> -heirs can give rights or deny rights to republish during 75 yrs, but
> after that, the work can not be "willed" to anyone else.
>
> -"fair use" of portions of a copyrighted work allows brief quotations
> without permission (usually for reviews or to cite a point); but "brief"
> sometimes must be defined by courts in disputes.
>
> -copyrighted work can be used in educational settings if the copying is
> incidental and done without extensive pre-planning.... that is, if a
> teacher suddenly (during or immediately before a class) wants his students
> to see a work, it can be copied, but not sold.
>
> -individuals get by with making any copies for their own personal use, but
> copy stores, like Kinko will not copy unless presented with a release
> from the copyright holder regardless of the intended sole personal use (to
> protect themeselves) but usually will ignore some customer copying using
> the customer's own hands. Some works have joined the paper version of BMI
> where a small fee can be transferred to the holder by a copy store when
> copying is done.
>
> -copyright only exists when it is enforced. One test involves judging if
> the copying has materially harmed the owner or the owner's market for the
> work. No measurable harm, no foul, it goes.
>
> -copyright is lost if the owner freely gives his work away to the public
> without attaching a notice of copyright (c in a circle etc.).
>
>
> There are many items that can not be copyrighted, like the schematic
> symbol for a resistor or even a diagram of a power supply if that circuit
> is in wide public use. "Kleenix" was denied copyright with the argument
> that the word had entered the language to such a thorough extent as to no
> longer just refer to one branded product. A specific singing of a song
> can be copyrighted but if another person sings it, copyright is in a grey
> area. The fun really begins when copying is made off the Internet--is the
> stuff freely given or what?
>
>
>
> Some countries, like China, do not obey copyright laws.
>
>
>
> 73,
So, what do the armchair lawyers say about Heathkit allowing free copy and
distribution for profit since they got out of the ham business?
I would expect an easy court battle if a ham lawyer did a pro bono case on
behalf of all the affected sellers and web sites against the current owner.
Maybe a couple of lawyers sharing time and costs and wearing the current
owner down in his own legal fees.
Hosting the library in China would be interesting (-;
Carl
KM1H
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