Is there a statute of limitations in terms of whether a softsynth from a defunkt site/author can become public domain? Like EVL for example; this softsynth creator made 5 pretty good VSTi's and then for whatever reason disappeared. So can somebody else 'pick up the pieces' where they left off?


master the wave

I believe that Copyright lasts for several years after the author's death. Patents, if any are involved, don't last nearly so long. What is it, 15 years or something like that? I'm not sure how durable trademarks, or other intellectual properties are. Assuming a company holds the trademark, I suppose a trademark could last as long as the company is still in business--long after the company founder and even his great, great grandchildren had all passed away. I don't think this is the sort of answer you were hoping for, sorry.

(All of the above is based on my somewhat shaky understanding of current US intellectual property laws. The laws in your part of the world may differ radically from US law.)


later,
McLilith

A more thourough investigation may yield more bountiful results:

http://evl.zapto.org/

OK. Well if international copywrite laws exist and the author is still alive, then it sounds like the works are most likely off limits. Sad if true, since some really nice creations would no longer be in circulation.


master the wave

Did you not see the link I posted?

Ah cool! A new site and a new version of DigiDrum.
Thanks for the update sickle. Very nice.


master the wave

Hmm, that's a simple yet cool new gui, wonder who designed it.

ezeeboogie wrote:

Hmm, that's a simple yet cool new gui, wonder who designed it.

I did! Glad you like my work. Maybe someday you can make something cool like that too.

U.S. copyright duration: Life of the author, plus 50 years.

RogerPerrin

[quote]U.S. copyright duration: Life of the author, plus 50 years.[/quote]

Except if you've created Mickey Mouse, then it's for 100 years or more....

It's now 50 years since the first Mickey Mouse films were made by Walt Disney and they will not be public domain. The Disney empire has enough money to sue all and everyone.

And yes this year it's 50 years since Elvis made his first recording but it won't probably be public domain either....

invitia wrote:

Quote: U.S. copyright duration: Life of the author, plus 50 years. Except if you've created Mickey Mouse, then it's for 100 years or more.... It's now 50 years since the first Mickey Mouse films were made by Walt Disney and they will not be public domain. The Disney empire has enough money to sue all and everyone. And yes this year it's 50 years since Elvis made his first recording but it won't probably be public domain either....

I don't think you get it. Whether it's been 50 years since someone created something is irrelevant. What matters is whether it's been 50 years since the author's death. At that point in time, all of the author's works, from their first work to their last, simultaneously become public domain.

Let us know when it's been 50 years since Walt and Elvis passed away.


take care,
McLilith

Something just occured to me. Some day very far into the future, if medical technology allows for the indefinite prolonging of human life, will copyrights then cease to expire?

What if far into the future, someone were reduced to a comatose hospital patient, connected to life support indefinitely, hoping for an eventual full recovery? Would those copyrights still be waiting for them if they awoke from their coma perhaps 100 years later? If so, I can just imagine some huge corporation keeping some person barely alive on a life support system, just to hang onto their intellectual property rights.

Somewhere, there are probably lawyers already plotting ways to take maximum legal advantage of immortality, even as I type this.

(Wow, I really should get more sleep.)


later,
McLilith

Quote:

I don't think you get it. Whether it's been 50 years since someone created something is irrelevant. What matters is whether it's been 50 years since the author's death. At that point in time, all of the author's works, from their first work to their last, simultaneously become public domain.

Although, interestingly, not all WIPO-member countries have implemented copyright law in the same way. For example, here in the UK, copyright on sound recordings is 50yrs from the date of the recording; there has been a certain amount of speculation in the media here as to what will happen when Elvis Presley's first hit recordings go out of copyright here next year. Ignoring issues of the other copyrights which apply to a piece of recorded music, it will very soon be completely legal to post such works on a UK-hosted web site.

Hi Angus,

That's interesting. I didn't know about the UK rule. I suppose Elvis' music really will become public domain (in the UK) at that point.

I think that some of the Beatles music went public domain a few years ago in Japan. There was a company that literally took the original 45 rpm singles, and compiled them to CD for redistribution. I don't think there was anything the owner of the Beatles catalog could do about it either. As I understand it, they were only able to do this with the original 45 recordings, and not the modern CD issues, because the CD's had not been out long enough for the copyright to expire on those. It's interesting that the same music would be freely redistributable when copied from one format, and not from another.


later,
McLilith

McLilith wrote:

invitia wrote: Quote: U.S. copyright duration: Life of the author, plus 50 years. Except if you've created Mickey Mouse, then it's for 100 years or more.... It's now 50 years since the first Mickey Mouse films were made by Walt Disney and they will not be public domain. The Disney empire has enough money to sue all and everyone. And yes this year it's 50 years since Elvis made his first recording but it won't probably be public domain either.... I don't think you get it. Whether it's been 50 years since someone created something is irrelevant. What matters is whether it's been 50 years since the author's death. At that point in time, all of the author's works, from their first work to their last, simultaneously become public domain. Let us know when it's been 50 years since Walt and Elvis passed away. take care, McLilith

Isnt it also true that the copywrites of those items belong to the WaltDisney company and not to him personaly? IANAL but I would think that ment the copywrites would last till after the compnay died not Walt....I may be totaly wrong on that one...but even if I am Walt still hasnt been dead for 50

McLilith wrote:

Let us know when it's been 50 years since Walt and Elvis passed away.

Lieber & Stoler, my friends. not Elvis.



k

Actually the way the law is written and has been interpreted by the courts, anyone can try and use some elses copyrighted work and make loads of money, as long as the origianal owner does sue them. If the original owner does not vigorously defend their copyright, then they lose it.

This is so vauge and open to interpretation that it all boils down to who has the most money and lawyers as to who "owns" a copyright.

PawPawPatch wrote:

If the original owner does not vigorously defend their copyright, then they lose it.

That principle definitely applies to trademarks in the US, but not to copyrights. I'm not sure how it works in other countries.


later,
McLilith

grease wrote:

ezeeboogie wrote: Hmm, that's a simple yet cool new gui, wonder who designed it. I did! Glad you like my work. Maybe someday you can make something cool like that too.

Hmm... I don't know who you are But stealing credit for others work is not nice!

Are you flemming? If not, I think you'll find I'm Tiger Woods!

ezeeboogie wrote:

grease wrote: ezeeboogie wrote: Hmm, that's a simple yet cool new gui, wonder who designed it. I did! Glad you like my work. Maybe someday you can make something cool like that too. Hmm... I don't know who you are But stealing credit for others work is not nice!

Me?!? Stealing credit?!? I would nev...OK, I guess I would...

Just my way of telling you its a cool GUI, ezeeboogie!

Now I didn't get this sentence:

ezeeboogie wrote:

Are you flemming? If not, I think you'll find I'm Tiger Woods!

sorry...I don't get it...what does "flemming" mean? Does that mean "joking"? And if you're Tiger Woods, does that mean you're going to beat me over the head with a nine iron?

(Just playing with you, ezee...by the way, the Agonyx GUI is really nice!)

grease wrote:

ezeeboogie wrote: grease wrote: ezeeboogie wrote: Hmm, that's a simple yet cool new gui, wonder who designed it. I did! Glad you like my work. Maybe someday you can make something cool like that too. Hmm... I don't know who you are But stealing credit for others work is not nice! Me?!? Stealing credit?!? I would nev...OK, I guess I would... Just my way of telling you its a cool GUI, ezeeboogie! Now I didn't get this sentence: ezeeboogie wrote: Are you flemming? If not, I think you'll find I'm Tiger Woods! sorry...I don't get it...what does "flemming" mean? Does that mean "joking"? And if you're Tiger Woods, does that mean you're going to beat me over the head with a nine iron? (Just playing with you, ezee...by the way, the Agonyx GUI is really nice!)

Sorry mate! I totally missed the joke!

Flemming is the name of the creator of the synths and the tiger woods thing was a reference to the old nike advert where everyone claims to be tiger woods. Of course, there's only one tiger woods just like there's only one ezeeboogie. Wow, that joke was spectaculerly bad, I apologise!

Obviously we are both great at telling jokes!

Cheers for the kind words about my GUIs! Have you checked out X3nogate that I created with spoonboiler? If not go here.

I developed it from an early beta that spoonboiler had created. i reworked the internals and gave it a spangly new GUI. Hope you like it! Keep an eye out for my own new stuff that will be up very soon...

too funny...

cheers ezeeboogie!

I downloaded x3nogate a while ago, but forgot to unzip it!...I'll check it out - looks good.

best regards

you could also just move to China, where they carry zero respect for U.S. copyrights and patents.