Copyright Issues(Click on a title to see the article)
Did you know that U.S. copyright law has locked up virtually our entire recorded heritage, all the
way back to the first recordings made in the 1800s? That unlike all other intellectual property, there is no public
domain for recordings? The corporations that have been given exclusive monopoly rights to early recordings have no
use for them, don't make them available, and rarely let others do so. Archives cannot even legally preserve them
using modern best practices.
The U.S. is the only country in the world with such a dysfunctional system. Nobody wins. Rights holders get no revenue,
and the public is denied access. If Americans want to hear their audio heritage they have to buy it from overseas,
where copyright laws are more rational and historical recordings (including those made in the U.S.) are now in the public
domain.
Some of us feel that in the understandable pursuit of protection for modern recordings U.S. copyright law has been
twisted out of shape by lobbyists and lawyers, and we want to change it to preserve historical recordings and make
them available to the American public. We believe that this can be done in a way that actually benefits rights holders
as well as the public. We have made some progress--but we need your help. To learn more go to the website of the Historical
Recording Coalition for Access and Preservation, at www.recordingcopyright.org
and sign the petition! To go directly to the petition click here.