Project Gutenberg Threatened Over PG Australia

Posted by timothy on Tuesday October 26, 2004 @07:54PM from the wind-done-gone-wasn't-enough-for-'em dept.

Jon Noring writes "Michael Hart's venerable Project Gutenberg, based in the United States, is now being threatened with a lawsuit from the estate of the long-deceased author of 'Gone With The Wind.' The threat is being made because Project Gutenberg of Australia (link not provided) has the digital text version of GWTW on its server (GWTW is Public Domain in Australia), which, according to the estate's lawyers, is downloadable from the United States. Further information, including the copy of the 'take down' letter, and some commentary, is given at TeleRead. It is likely the threat is legally meritless, yet it is troubling, showing how online repositories of public domain works may be impacted by threats from other countries where the works are still covered under copyright."

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Re:verbage by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-26 20:21 · Score: 0, Flamebait

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Impacted
Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by kin242 · 2004-10-26 21:36 · Score: 1, Flamebait

You're a genius... hope you don't mind but I'm going to put your comment on my live journal (nick karl_in_neon) Thanks for making me laugh (and cry)

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Re:Sorry, but this is their fault. by bbc · 2004-10-27 01:15 · Score: 0, Flamebait

You are joking, ... yet: two of the countries that had some of the most progressive copyright laws in the world, have recently had their copyright laws changed for them by an illegal occupying army. Their names? Afghanistan and Iraq.
Re:And next week... by Verteiron · 2004-10-27 01:44 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Ideally the people control the government. Unfortunately, in the USA at least, this isn't always the case.

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