January 1 is Public Domain Day--the day when new works around the world come into the public domain. Some countries, the term of copyright is life of the author + seventy years, and in others it remains life of the author + fifty (in a very simplified version -- the students working on the Durationator software can attest to how complicated the term of a copyright can really be--we at Tulane Law School are working on a web-based tool that will help users determine the copyright status of a given work (book, photo, film, etc.) for use in the U.S. Read more about Happy Public Domain Day - January 1, 2009 - new additions to unpublished public domain in the U.S.
Just a quick post to say that I will be guest blogging at Terra Nova this month. I, along with my 2L research assistant, Rachel Goda, will be discussing our current project in Second Life, where we take 100 first year property law students into Second Life to see what comparisons they can find to modern property with virtual property. Read more about Guest Blogging at Terra Nova
I've been awarded a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Fellowship for 2005-06 at the London School of Economics. This will give me time to work on my project COPYRIGHT AND A SCHOLAR'S WORK as well as teach a couple of courses on copyright. So we are off to London in September. Read more about News
I've been thinking about the recent copyright office call for comments on orphan works. What is it that I would wish? The word that keeps coming back to me is "transparency." I have to live within the system, but it would be so nice if one could have tools that helped with this process -- that is
- online data bases FROM THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE (or somewhere else official) that one could search easily to see if a work has been renewed Read more about Some thoughts about the Copyright Office comments
Book-length projects
The Making of the Great War Generation (in progress)
A comparative biography reexamining the meaning of generation, with particular attention paid to gender and those not generally included in the canonized literature (although the canonized writers are very much part of the project.) Individuals discussed include Vera Brittain, Erich Maria Remarque, Edmund Blunden, Mary Lee, Malcolm Cowley, Ezra Pound, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, R.C. Sherriff, Robert Graves, and many, many others. Read more about Current Main Writing Projects
I am in search of stories from scholars of their experiences with copyright -- good, happy stories that will inspire others; sad, sad tales; personal experiences with literary executors; struggles with multimedia projects -- the whole range. I am trying to get a sense of exactly what scholars are facing with regard to copyright. We all hear the stories of Hemingway and the other famous examples -- Gone with the Wind, Peter Pan. What about others? What about merely situations where copyright is uncertain and so one doesn't proceed with a project? Read more about Stories from Scholars Sought
I've been thinking about the New Year and new projects. Here are some thoughts. I feel like I've been quite neglectful on this site. This will all change with the New Year. Here is what I'm planning to concentrate my time:I would like to start collecting copyright stories from students, scholars, and teachers, both success and struggles. I am trying to work out a way to do this. Right now, if you have stories you would like to share, you can email me directly at elizabeth at towsend dot net. Read more about Holiday Thoughts and New Year Plans
i have been neglecting this blog, in part because of the spam, but also because the last month or so has been crazy busy. I'm very excited to be a non-res fellow. Lots more stuff and more attention to the blog starting in January. Read more about a quick hello
been working on a paper on international commercial arbitration which should be done at the end of the week. will get back to academic copyright issues then. Read more about will post soon
