On 8/16/2011 3:49 PM, Tom Fine wrote:
> My main interest is making older recordings widely available. I'm OK
> with extensions of copyright for the record companies as long as
> things remain in print. What I'm not OK with is vaults full of stuff
> that's out of print and unavailable to anyone.

Two or three decades ago I suggested a use-it-or-lose-it concept with
copyright like there is for trademarks. If a company does not use a
trademark for a few years (it used to be 5 but I think it is 7 or 8 now)
the trademark registration lapses. That is how some early record label
trademarks have become used by other modern companies. My suggestion
was that if a recording was out of print for about ten years it goes
into semi-P.D. If it was less than a certain period like 50 years it
could be compulsory licensed with royalties being paid to the original
company, but if it was older it would be in P.D. Compulsory licensing
works for songs, so it could work for sound recordings.

Mike Biel [log in to unmask]