[WP editorial] Copyright Craziness
- From: J Flenner <varney@[redacted]>
- Subject: [WP editorial] Copyright Craziness
- Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 06:49:10 -0400
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22911-2001Aug16.html
Copyright Craziness
Friday, August 17, 2001
Washington Post, Editorial, Page A22
THE U.S. COURT of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last month
declined to reconsider an earlier ruling that Congress has
essentially unchecked authority to extend copyright protections.
The Constitution gives Congress the power "to promote the
Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited
Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their
respective Writings and Discoveries." Over the nation's life, the
phrase "limited times" has proved almost infinitely elastic.
Copyrights were initially granted for 28-year periods, but
Congress has serially extended protection so that it now extends
70 years beyond the life of the author.
<snip>
.
.
.
[Moderator: The last sentence of the editorial mentions that the
plaintiffs plan to ask the Supreme Court to review the decision. - JMO]