[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: [ARSCLIST] Translations
On 1 Jan 2008, at 17:06, Mike Richter wrote:
Please excuse the cross-posting, but the opinions of both ARSC and
Bootlegtalk will be of interest. The problem is an odd one in
reversing the usual question about translations. Of course, if I
were wealthy, I would simply ask for opinions from an assortment of
attorneys specializing in intellectual property. Resolving their
disagreements would quickly dispose of any wealth I might have had
to begin with.
Suppose a work - in this case, the text of sung material - is in
copyright. Suppose that I prepare a translation from a legal copy
of the original. Is it legal for me to put the translation in the
public domain even though the original is protected?
You need to get permission to prepare the translation from the
copyright holder of the original. Once you have that, you hold the
copyright in the translation (a "derivative" work) and, as far as I
can tell, you can put it in the public domain, if you wish--but
copyright in the original is still in place.
Barbara Need
UChicago
(I am not a layer, but I deal with copyright issues on a regular basis.)