The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 3, January 19, 2003, Article 5

NOTIFY YOUR HEIRS: COPYRIGHTS GOOD 70 YEARS.

  Dick Johnson reports: "The Supreme Count upheld, on
  Wednesday, January 15th, the extension of United States
  Copyrights by 20 years. Authors' heirs can now collect
  royalties for 70 years from the date of death of the author.
  For numismatic authors this could gain some royalty money
  for their estates.  For numismatic publishers, you will have
  to wait a while to reprint that numismatic classic for free.

  Previously the length of an American copyright was life
  of the artist plus 50 years. The new legislation (upheld by
  the Supreme Court) introduced in 1998 and known as the
  Sony Bono law, changed the law to be life of the artist plus
  70 years. This brings our copyright law more in line with
  that in Europe.

  For works copyrighted by corporations, it dates from year
  first published. Formerly it was 75 years. Now it is 95 years.
  Those in favor of the changing the law were concentrated in
  Hollywood, as early movies were approaching the deadline
  for this copyright protected work to pass into public domain.
  Had this not been approved by the Supreme Count, we
  could have had "Steamboat Willie" Mickey Mouse all over
  the internet."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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