Re: [ARSCLIST] European Archive Foundation

[Steven Barr <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Richter" <mrichter@xxxxxxx>
> Steven Barr wrote:
> > It might take a court battle to legally decide that the artifact
> > was officially Mr. Edison's first sound recording, and as such
> > part of the archives under the control of the National Park Service,
> > before we would be able to hear it!
> It has been generally assumed, but is not yet clear, that the Edison 
> material is in the public domain. It may well be that the National Park 
> Service has rights which so far it has not exercised.
> Note that the U.S. Government has been upheld in asserting rights to 
> patents. Whether that applies to copyright and trademark I don't know.
> 
Well, I was in part being facetious (by pointing out that the DMCA, by
its all-inclusive approach to "sound recordings," would place Edison's
recitation under copyright until 2067 [or later?]...) but my understanding
was that the NPS, by its legal acquisition of the Edison properties
(including copyrights not yet expired), controls the copyrights on any
recordings made by Edison and/or his "hired help"...from the saga of
"Mary..." to whatever was the last recording made as the operation
shut down! Thus, if the material is p.d., it is so because the NPS
has elected to make it so...?

Steven C. Barr