My understanding is that any work (other than a sound recording!)
published in the U.S.before 1/1/1978 without a copyright notice is
public domain. Period. After 1/1/1978, it's a different story. If
Malcolm is correct about no notices, and I'm confident that he is, all
those earlier issues are PD. Addressing a part of the initial
question, the paid-for version of Adobe has an OCR tool built-in. How
it would deal with the minuscule type and crooked paste-ups of RR is
another story.

Sam Brylawski

On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 12:43 PM, Malcolm Rockwell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I have all the primary Record Research issues scanned and many of the
> bulletins, as well as many of the the Blues Research and the Americana
> series. I also worked up an index for the primary issues.
> I had worked out a deal with Lenny's niece (sitting in for her mom who may
> have passed by now) but then copyright questions arose and I shelved the
> project. I still have all the digital files, though.
> If anyone can establish with any finality who owned RR I would happily
> finish the project and distribute it or release it to someone who will.
> There is the question of a possible co-owner and/or long time collaborator
> that could be a major copyright problem, even for releasing privately for a
> low price.
> BTW, there are no copyright notices anywhere in the entire magazine run but
> I'm told that is meaningless. I really do not want to end up in court and do
> not have the money to get lawyers involved in any of this!
> "Publish and be damned" is fine for one's own material; not so good for
> someone else's stuff.
> Regards,
> Malcolm Rockwell
>
> *******
>
>
> On 10/24/2012 3:12 AM, Mason Vander Lugt wrote:
>>
>> Hi ARSC,
>>
>> I know some of you were involved in the writing and publication of Record
>> Research Magazine. Can any of you tell me decisively whether anyone would
>> contest the free distribution of PDF scans of the magazine? I emailed the
>> representative of Spivey Records (my best guess for a 'rightsholder'), but
>> got no response. I've been collecting them when I can find them, and now
>> have about half of the full run scanned (less the sales lists).
>>
>> Does anybody have any of the issues listed below that they would be
>> willing
>> to lend, give or sell to me? I intend to put them up for free download
>> when
>> I'm finished.
>>
>> Finally, I think they would be much more useful if the text was
>> searchable.
>> Can anyone recommend a good (free?) OCR service that can accept PDF files?
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any help or advice,
>> Mason Vander Lugt
>> Still needed:
>>
>> 1-42, except 17, 19-20, 22-24, 27
>> 51/52
>> 112-220 except 189/190, 201/202
>>
>> (If my math seems fuzzy to you, it's because they were published in
>> double-issues after 112)
>>
>