Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Certainly Not DRM-Free, Or All That Could Have Been

Like you, I have limited awareness of copyright law - mostly, that it exists and things are copyrighted.  And thanks to the 1976 Copyright Act, there's a shit-ton of stuff not in the public domain.

Prior to going into effect in 1978, the maximum copyright term was 56 years (an initial term of 28 years plus another 28 years if renewed. Under those laws, works published in 1956 would enter the public domain on January 1, 2013.  Now, those items are copyright for 70 years after the date of the author’s death, and corporate “works-for-hire” are copyrighted for 95 years after publication.  Here's a sampling of what you can't have for free:

Literature
Winston Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Volume I and Volume II
Philip K. Dick, Minority Report
Ian Fleming, Diamonds Are Forever
Fred Gibson, Old Yeller
Billie Holiday, Lady Sings The Blues
Alan Lerner, My Fair Lady
Eugene O’Neill, Long Day’s Journey Into Night
John Osborne, Look Back In Anger
Dodie Smith, 101 Dalmatians

Film
Around the World In 80 Days
Forbidden Planet
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
It Conquered the World
The King and I
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Moby Dick
The Searchers
The Ten Commandments

Music
Let the Good Times Roll
Roll Over Beethoven
Who Do You Love?
Long Tall Sally
Fever
I Walk The Line
Que Sera, Sera
Heartbreak Hotel
Don't Be Cruel
Love Me Tender

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