On Jan 28, 2:02�pm, John Smith I wrote:
wrote:* ...

Len:

I believe that they MUST APPLY to have that copyright lengthened, it
does not automatically occur (and, on or before a certain day the work
will expire copyright)--you'd be surprised how many works still fail
that. *Although, some publishing houses are set up to "automatically
apply", even though they had no interest in the work they end up gaining
possession of the copyright!

The www.copyright.gov website will clear that up on OLD
copyrights.

Once 1978 was reached there was "life plus 50."
Now, just WHO is going to renew such things other
than corporate entities? :-) Now it is "life plus 70."

Arguing matters over a 1938 copyright in the year
2007 is rather like "how many angels dance on the
head of a pin?" :-)

Individuals/corps make a living though such "questionable practices."

J. K. Lasser's "Your Income Tax" came out on news-
stands faithfully during year-end holiday time in the
USA. For many years. Had ALL the IRS forms in it.
NOT a "questionable practice." Quicken does the same
thing but goes through all the decision diamonds
and the math to fil them in. No charge for duping the
fed forms. Enormous work in programming the
thing.

BTW, J.K. was the father of actress Louise Lasser.

Government works are NOT copyrightable. By law.

I've downloaded (for free) lots of old textbooks, mostly
TMs but reproed hard-covers from different Internet
sites. Those are out-of-date now (for their material)
but are useful for nostalgia purposes or just to cross-
check where some of the slightly-later theory things
came from. Many folks have been very busy copying
all those (all pages included, even blank ones), putting
them together to upload for others.

I'm not going to get in ten kinds of snit to forever
argue the "legality" of such repros. Such arguments
are done by LITTLE people trying to be "big" barracks
lawyers. If someone goes to a lot of trouble to do
the copying and collating and uploading, take
advantage of it. It is NOT some grande felony matter
such as pirating a copy of "Pirates of the Carribean"
DVD or the latest "hit diva" wailing into a microphone
for a 2007 platinum CD issue.

The ultimate in such copying was the enormous job
a group had in cleaning up an R-390 receiver TM.
Quite legal. But, they not only cleaned up the
schematics and graphics, they RETYPED the text
and many tables! Terribly neat, easy to read TM
was the result. Of interest only to boatanchor
collectors, not the collectors of pre-1950 Study
Guides. Sheesh.

However, some regard old ARRL publications as
religious icons. Nothing logical could be said about
them.

LA