Your public library: Admission, $50
- Wed Jan 15 2003
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The Associated Press reports that the Supreme Court has upheld lengthier copyrights, safeguarding the profits of media companies such as Disney, who would have been at risk of losing some of their product to the public domain within the next few years.
The lawsuit by Eric Eldred, who was attempting to set up a web-based public library project, challenged a 1998 act of Congress that extended copyright terms to 75 years after the death of the creator, or 95 years for works owned by corporations.
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Copyright law, of course, prevents anyone from using owned creative work without express permission from the creator, which is usually granted only in return for steep royalties. In the case of corporate-owned works -- such as "Casablanca", which was due to enter the public domain within the next two years had this challenge succeeded -- such permission is usually never granted at any price.
There is, of course, the 'fair use' provision, which allows the free use of creative works without permission of the author for purposes of commentary or criticism, but this provision has been under fire recently as media conglomerates seek to assert more control over what Cory Doctorow characterizes as "our shared cultural heritage".