MJang wrote: > On Wed, 2009-04-22 at 01:49 -0700, Michael Robinson wrote: >> On Wed, 2009-04-22 at 00:26 -0700, m0gely wrote: >>> Michael Robinson wrote: >>> >>>> Microsoft has abandoned the dos/Windows 3.x combo, Windows 95 all >>>> versions, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows NT all versions, >>>> Windows 2000, and Windows Millenium. > snip >>>> The government could step in... <snip> >> I've heard this argument before and I'm not buying it. The government >> which recognizes copyright could step in and retroactively change the >> rules. > > Such changes would subject most governments to charges of hypocrisy. It > would be compared to retroactive expropriation. It would also undercut > the US position in bi- and multi-lateral trade negotiations.
The U.S. is party to the [1] Berne Convention and was the most aggressive lobbyist for [2] TRIPS, which stipulates that copyright terms must extend to a minimum of 50 years after the death of the author and that computer programs must be regarded as literary works under copyright law and receive the same terms of protection. So any serious effort to reform copyright laws internationally has to start with the U.S., since it was our government that foisted this crap on the rest of the world. As for hypocrisy, consider that the U.S. refused to recognize copyrights of non-US citizens until 1891, and only then with [3] caveats. But now we seek to force all nations, including developing nations, to recognize ours, for the benefit of big pharma, Microsoft, Hollywood, and what we in Portland are fond of calling "the creative class." That's hypocrisy for you. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Literary_and_Artistic_Works [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreement_on_Trade-Related_Aspects_of_Intellectual_Property_Rights [3] In 1891, the United States finally recognized the copyright of foreign authors if they registered their copyright in the United States and the book included the proper notice. But copyright of foreign books written in English was conditioned on the work being printed in the United States or from plates first made in the United States. This manufacturing clause would remain in the copyright statutes until 1986. Source: http://digital-law-online.info/lpdi1.0/treatise4.html Michael M. _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
