The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 46, November 17, 2002, Article 12

SHOULD COPYRIGHT BE EXTENDED FOR 20 MORE YEARS?

  Dick Johnson writes: "The Supreme Court listened to
  arguments last month for and against the Sonny Bono Copyright
  Term Extension Act.   Currently a book copyright is for the life
  of the author plus fifty years.  The proposed extension would
  add 20 years to this making a typical copyright good for 70
  years after the author dies.  That is the law in Europe and some
  are trying to make American law the same.

  If your grandfather wrote a numismatic book sixty years ago
  and it continues to sell, should you still receive royalties?  At
  what point should a book pass into public domain?

  Darn few numismatic books remain popular and continue to
  sell past the first decade or so.  Forrer's "Biographical
  Dictionary of Medalists" comes to mind as the most dramatic
  exception. Originally published serially (in Spink's Numismatic
  Circular), then reprinted in book form beginning in 1902 --
  this year marks a century milestone for Leonard's handiwork
  in book form!

  Leonard kept compiling and Spink kept printing until 1930
  when the eighth volume appeared.  The set has been reprinted
  twice thereafter. And still continues to sell.

  Sure, we all buy out-of-print books.  But who can match
  Forrer's literary longevity with new sets selling steadily year
  in and year out now for a hundred years!  If you wrote a
  numismatic book that so thoroughly covers the subject that
  no one can improve on it for seventy years, should your
  children, grandchildren, great grandchildren receive the
  payments for your literary endeavor?

  I remember my college business law professor waving his
  arms saying "the hand of the dead should not control the
  lives of the living," but he wasn't talking about cashing the
  old man's royalty checks. I'm satisfied with fifty years
  royalties for my progeny (however many there may be
  fifty years from now).

  I chose to emulate Leonard Forrer. I chose to compile
  a directory of all American coins and medals by their
  creators -- the artists, diesinkers, engravers, medalists
  and sculptors who created them. (Forrer wrote 5,227
  pages;  I have half that ready to publish, for America
  alone!)

  Just buy my book while I'm still alive. Let someone else
  replace it fifty years after I'm gone. Meanwhile let Sonny
  Bono and Elvis Presley's heirs fight for their last protected
  dollar.

  If you want to read "Time To End The Copyright Race
  by Lawrence Lessig click on this link, then click on the
  article title:
  http://news.ft.com/comment/columnists/neweconomy"

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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