Date   : Sun, 04 Apr 1993 05:15:36 +1000
From   : justin@... (Justin Ridge)
Subject: BBC: How long does Copyright last?

This message was prompted by what Pat Cain said regarding AMPLE albums.
Where software is concerned, how long is copyright valid for, at least in
your country?  I suspect it would apply indefinately here.
This has struck me as being rather absurd.

I understand that copyright on music must be renewed every so often, or
else it lapses and becomes public domain.  On the other hand,  copyright on
a book does not.  Thus what happens if a books author dies, it is no longer
in print, and the publisher has gone out of business?  Anyhow, I digress
radically....

To get back to the original point, say I have a ROM.  Say it is some tool
like EXROM by Beebug.  Of course, when it was released, it would have been
illegal to make an image of that ROM and distribute it.
But what about now?  For all I know stuck here in Tas, Beebug may have
ceased to exist.  They most certainly wouldn't still be selling EXROM.  As
I understand it, one of the main reasons for copyright legislation is to
ensure that the author gets their deserved royalties.  But EXROM isn't
being sold any more, they lose nothing if it were to be copied, right?  All
copyright does in this case is to prevent diehards (like us) from coaxing
the most from our beloved friends (the beebs).
Thus my point is, copyright has virtually ceased to serve its main purpose
in such cases.  And when it has ceased to serve its purpose, is it
pertinant to consider it?

Food for thought, maybe.

Justin R.

Justin Ridge,                    |   Phone:  +61 02 202811
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