tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20803105.post796345643797825776..comments2024-03-23T13:09:54.464-04:00Comments on EXCESS COPYRIGHT: Who Will be Next Register of Copyrights?Howard Knopfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18321190334597129416noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20803105.post-86917138218928102892011-02-28T14:01:00.206-05:002011-02-28T14:01:00.206-05:00I'm not sure what balance you mean. The 1976 ...I'm not sure what balance you mean. The 1976 copyright law, along with the Supreme Court ruling, pulled decades worth of creative works out of the public domain and put them into retroactive copyright, violating the agreement made with the public for their respective copyrights. Before 1976, creators had to actively register their works and had to renew their copyright after 14 years; most did not renew. Works made more than 30 years before this new law were given the new copyright length of the author's life plus 70 years - automatically. This was incredibly one sided with no evidence that it was needed, since significant creative works were already being created.<br /><br />Similarly, the DMCA is likewise one-sided in favor of copyright holders who can abuse DMCA takedowns even in cases of fair use or to stifle free speech. Just this past week, the Tolkien estate had Zazzle take down a button just for mentioning Tolkien's name (http://tinyurl.com/4f9w3lx).<br /><br />Can you please elaborate on how any of these Registrar's provided any benefit to consumers as part of this balance?Michael C. Sherrinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11305526175423946667noreply@blogger.com