Re: Warner's "Superman" projects to be sued out of existence?

Ken Arromdee <arromdee@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> Thanatos  <atropos@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> Siegel and Shuster sold all rights forever and ever amen.
> >> Congress, since then (1976 to be precise), passed a law that
> >> specifically allows heirs in certain cir***stances to recover
> >> copyrights which had been transferred during the original
> >> holder's life.
> >One of the worst laws ever. If the creator of a property sells it, 
> >there's no reason in the world his descendants should be able to come 
> >along decades later and **** everything up this way and take it all 
> >back-- as if they had anything to do with creating the property in the 
> >first place.
> 
> Copyrights are supposed to be limited.  Siegel didn't sell the copyright
> forever.  He sold the copyright for the original limited period, 56
years.
> At the end of that 56 years, it would run out, and DC would longer own
it;
> in fact, nobody would own it.  It would be *ours*.
> 
> He didn't know at the time that Disney would pay off Congress to pass
laws
> extending the copyright another 39 years.
> 
> Why is it any more legitimate for DC to get that 39 years than for his
> family to get it?

Because they bought "all rights forever and ever amen." What did his
family ever do to have any claim on it? If the copyright DC bought ran
out, there wouldn't be anything to revert.