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Joseph Goebbels' Estate Sues Publisher Over Diary Excerpt Royalties

Posted by timothy on from the new-meaning-for-moral-rights dept.

wabrandsma writes with this from The Guardian: The estate of Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's minister of propaganda, is taking legal action against the publisher Random House over a new biography, claiming payment for the use of extracts from his diaries. Peter Longerich's biography of Goebbels is to be published in May (Random House/ Siedler). Longerich, who is the professor at Royal Holloway's Holocaust Research Centre, maintains this case has important censorship implications. 'If you accept that a private person controls the rights to Goebbels' diaries, then – theoretically – you give this person the right to control research,' he said.

7 of 301 comments (clear)

  1. Unless by captnjohnny1618 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Up front confession: haven't read the article, but unless the diaries are in the public domain, isn't this pretty cut and dry? If the diaries are in private hands, they're in private hands and you need permission to use their contents.

    1. Re:Unless by garyisabusyguy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      In the US there are plenty of legal codes that do not allow a criminal to make money from their crimes, such as a mass murderer making money from publishing a autobiography

      --
      Wherever You Go, There You Are
    2. Re:Unless by captnjohnny1618 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Question that is to somewhat be annoying: but other's can publish biographies and make movies about their crimes? Seems like all movies that profit off of heinous acts should have to go to repay the victims of their crimes. I know that's not practical but if we're going to draw a line, seems kinda arbitrary to me. I'm not a legal expert though (no legal qualifications at all whatsoever actually. hah!)

    3. Re:Unless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Unless you're planning to exhume his remains and put them on trial (It's been done, see Oliver Cromwell) Goebbels has committed no crimes. Yes he is a monster, but he is no criminal.

    4. Re:Unless by koan · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Troubling is that most everyone on the street will know what happened to Jews in WW2 if you ask.

      If you mention Pol Pot they have no idea who he was, if you mention the Armenian genocide they will also have no idea what that is.
      In fact the only genocide well covered is the Jewish one, rarely are the 5 million others killed alongside them mentioned either.

      Hollywood has produced movie after movie, I don't blame for keeping history alive to protect themselves, but arguing who can use the term genocide, and the lack of similar effort for genocides that followed leave me wondering.

      The singular retelling of the "Holocaust" leaves everyone else out and is quite often used for propaganda purposes.

      In fact, not to sound crass, Goebbels would have been proud.

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
    5. Re:Unless by koan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Josef Mengele

      In this link they discuss the ethics of using the data, and the data has been used several times that I know of.
      https://www.jewishvirtuallibra...

      --
      "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
  2. Son of Sam by afidel · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Doesn't Germany have the equivilent of a Son of Sam law where criminals and their heirs can't earn a profit from their heinous acts?

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.