Copyright Law

How many lawyers does it take to tell a professor when he can make copies from a digital book? Lots, so far. Digital distribution ought to make scholarship easy to spread, and cheap. Especially at a time when college expenses — most of which don't go for instructors or texts, but for buildings, administration, marketing, and other nonacademic needs — are driving young Americans deep into debt. But textbook publishers are as reluctant as music publishers to give their product away for free, digital or not. So, in the absence of new law from Congress or Supreme Court rulings, university counselors have been urging professors to pay extra licensing fees for anything they copy — boosting the cost and time spent assembling coursework.

When Congress enacted a new copyright law more than a decade ago, its intent was to protect creative, independent people, including free-lance photographers, by giving them total legal control of their work. In the 1980 census, 90,373 Americans listed themselves as professional photographers. The new copyright law applied to anyone who created something original - not just photographers, but artists, filmmakers, composers, even computer software designers. Under the act, legal ownership and control of photographs are retained by photographers who make them.

In 1998 Congress, pursuant to its constitutional power to determine the duration of federal copyright protection, passed a law extending the term of that protection by 20 years. This law brought United States copyright protection in line with that already afforded in Europe. Because the average life expectancy in the United States now exceeds 70 years, the law brings copyright protection in line with the legal vehicle for the posthumous control of tangible property - the law of testamentary trusts, which bases the term of such control on a human lifespan.

When Lila York's grand and dramatic Rapture for 20 dancers was unveiled in 1995, Dance Magazine called it "a little piece of heaven. " Critics and audiences raved at the New York premiere. "A bunch of us - writers, editors, choreographers - stood in the aisles astonished," wrote the critic for Dance magazine. "Was York the next big thing?" York, a former Paul Taylor dancer, has done just fine. Rapture, however, has fared less well, through no fault of its own. Just a year after its premiere, an obscure change in copyright law took effect.

Congress is wrestling these days with the important and complicated questions of who controls the words and images that flow easily on the Internet and who should pay to use them. The answers, experts say, are likely to determine the pace and direction of the Internet's development. The electronic distribution of information - from stock quotes to newspaper stories to digital video and music - has outpaced the legal framework of protections for intellectual property, advocates of new legislation say. Congress should change the federal copyright law to deal with conflicts that have not been resolved in the courts, they conclude.

A little-noticed proposal now in Congress to revise copyright law could fundamentally alter the way many Americans work and play. Proponents say the legislation - which tightens protections on books, music, movies and other collections of information that have been converted into digital forms - is necessary because it is so easy to steal, duplicate and distribute such works in the Internet age. Opponents, however, say that scholars, film...

Brett Miller, 47, general counsel for the Barnes Foundation who defended the foundation's move from suburban Merion to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in recent court hearings, was found dead at his Old City home Saturday, April 14. A spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office attributed the cause of death to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "The board of trustees and the staff of the Barnes Foundation are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague and friend Brett Miller," Derek Gillman, the director of the foundation, said in a statement to the Art Newspaper, which on Monday reported Mr. Miller's death.

On the eve of the California court decision that threatened to shutter the online song-swapping mecca known as Napster, a veritable Woodstock of file-sharing was logged on the Internet. Picture a music store the size of the First Union Center, or bigger: At one point Sunday, up to 14,000 Napster users were exchanging nearly 2.5 million computer files of music. That's twice the normal traffic - impressive, both as a barometer of interest in the Internet music revolution and as a spontaneous act of mass defiance.

Our children have returned to school, armed with the Internet skills for academic research. But they also have the savvy to avoid research by purchasing term papers on the Web. Term-paper sellers have been around for years, with catalogs describing thousands of available papers and custom research offerings. They advertise in many university newspapers, as well as in magazines such as Rolling Stone. But until recently, their reach was often limited to local students who could easily access them.

The Clinton administration yesterday proposed that the nation's copyright laws be beefed up to protect authors and publishers from becoming victims of "cyberjackers" on the information highway. In a 250-page report, a Commerce Department task force said Congress should make it illegal to infringe a copyright on-line by distributing copies worth more than $5,000. The report also said it should be illegal to produce or use any technology whose main purpose is to defeat copy protection or use restrictions for on- line work.

How many lawyers does it take to tell a professor when he can make copies from a digital book? Lots, so far. Digital distribution ought to make scholarship easy to spread, and cheap. Especially at a time when college expenses — most of which don't go for instructors or texts, but for buildings, administration, marketing, and other nonacademic needs — are driving young Americans deep into debt. But textbook publishers are as reluctant as music publishers to give their product away for free, digital or not. So, in the absence of new law from Congress or Supreme Court rulings, university counselors have been urging professors to pay extra licensing fees for anything they copy — boosting the cost and time spent assembling coursework.

Brett Miller, 47, general counsel for the Barnes Foundation who defended the foundation's move from suburban Merion to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in recent court hearings, was found dead at his Old City home Saturday, April 14. A spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office attributed the cause of death to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. "The board of trustees and the staff of the Barnes Foundation are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague and friend Brett Miller," Derek Gillman, the director of the foundation, said in a statement to the Art Newspaper, which on Monday reported Mr. Miller's death.

THIS IS PROBABLY not what former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich needed right now. Rude Music Inc., which owns the rights to the Survivor song "Eye of the Tiger," sued Gingrich on Monday for blaring the song at campaign events, including a stop in Doylestown in September. The song, famous for its use in the film "Rocky III," can be found on the website Gingrich is using for his primary-election race for president, according to the federal suit filed in Illinois, where the music company is based.

In 1998 Congress, pursuant to its constitutional power to determine the duration of federal copyright protection, passed a law extending the term of that protection by 20 years. This law brought United States copyright protection in line with that already afforded in Europe. Because the average life expectancy in the United States now exceeds 70 years, the law brings copyright protection in line with the legal vehicle for the posthumous control of tangible property - the law of testamentary trusts, which bases the term of such control on a human lifespan.

You're wrong about BMI: Copyrights really matter In your editorial Feb. 6, titled "SHHHHHH!," you revealed total disregard, or lack of knowledge, of copyright law as it applies to music. It is hoped you will reconsider your position in support of business owners who openly violate the law. Jerry Bailey Director, Media Relations BMI/Nashville Old Glory at Olympics Throughout the days leading to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, many people debated over how and if the American flag from the World Trade Center should be presented at the ceremonies.

Our children have returned to school, armed with the Internet skills for academic research. But they also have the savvy to avoid research by purchasing term papers on the Web. Term-paper sellers have been around for years, with catalogs describing thousands of available papers and custom research offerings. They advertise in many university newspapers, as well as in magazines such as Rolling Stone. But until recently, their reach was often limited to local students who could easily access them.

On the eve of the California court decision that threatened to shutter the online song-swapping mecca known as Napster, a veritable Woodstock of file-sharing was logged on the Internet. Picture a music store the size of the First Union Center, or bigger: At one point Sunday, up to 14,000 Napster users were exchanging nearly 2.5 million computer files of music. That's twice the normal traffic - impressive, both as a barometer of interest in the Internet music revolution and as a spontaneous act of mass defiance.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco dealt a shuddering blow to Napster Inc. yesterday, ruling that the popular Internet service must stop allowing users to swap copyrighted music. Although Napster officials said they would keep operating while they fought on "in the courts and in Congress," the appellate decision could spell the end of a service - at least as it currently operates - that has shaken the foundations of the recording industry. Created by a teenager in 1999, Napster's software lets computer users trade audio files in the MP3 format by connecting with one another via Napster's Internet servers.

Controversial legislation designed to prevent thieves from making illegal copies of books, music, movies and other copyright material has been passed by Congress and is expected to be signed into law by President Clinton. Copyright holders have lobbied hard for the bill, which they said was urgently needed to protect their property rights in an age when perfect reproduction is breathtakingly easy. The legislation was vigorously opposed by scholars, researchers, consumer advocates and small-business owners who feared it would block access to copyright materials for research, education and journalism.

A little-noticed proposal now in Congress to revise copyright law could fundamentally alter the way many Americans work and play. Proponents say the legislation - which tightens protections on books, music, movies and other collections of information that have been converted into digital forms - is necessary because it is so easy to steal, duplicate and distribute such works in the Internet age. Opponents, however, say that scholars, film...