* Sean Kellogg <skell...@gmail.com> [090119 01:58]:
> Having said all that, the meaning of this paragraph -- to me, at least
> -- is straight forward. It says that the U.S. Government, having
> decided to deny itself a copyright in the U.S., does not preclude
> itself from accepting a copyright from a different jurisdiction. If
> the Canadians wish to grant U.S. Governments works a copyright, then §
> 105 doesn't stop that. Nor does it stop the U.S. Government from
> enforcing such a copyright once it is issued. What it *doesn't* say is
> that a foreign government is required to grant a copyright. It's up to
> them... if they do, then the U.S. will take it... if they don't, not a
> big deal.
So I think that alone is like having one country where copyright ends
say 5 years after the death of the author. If we have some software
from an author in this country that dies 6 years ago, it will be public
domain there, but if I am not mistaken it will not be public domain in
the rest of the world.
> Now, I will admit I am not a Berne Convention expert... but I was
> under the impression that a big part of that convention was the idea
> of reciprocity. A member nation is obligated to provide coyright
> protection domestically IF the author's home nation provides
> protection. Put another way, a foreign nation has no obligation to
> provide protection if the home nation does NOT provide protection.
> Which, to me at least, means a foreign government is under no
> obligation to protect U.S. government works. But, like I said before,
> it's really a matter of local jurisdiction.
I think the appropiate paragraphs are those: (§122 UrHG):
| (3) Der Schutz nach Absatz 1 kann durch Rechtsverordnung des
| Bundesministers der Justiz für ausländische Staatsangehörige
| beschränkt werden, die keinem Mitgliedstaat der Berner Übereinkunft
| zum Schutze von Werken der Literatur und der Kunst angehören und zur
| Zeit des Erscheinens des Werkes weder im Geltungsbereich dieses
| Gesetzes noch in einem anderen Mitgliedstaat ihren Wohnsitz haben,
| wenn der Staat, dem sie angehören, deutschen Staatsangehörigen für
| ihre Werke keinen genügenden Schutz gewährt.
This (I think it is about works originally published in Germany by
someone not German or EU citizen) says that the interior ministry can
waive the rights of citizens of non-berne-convention members that do no
live in Germany and their state does not protect the works of Germans.
| (4) Im übrigen genießen ausländische Staatsangehörige den
| urheberrechtlichen Schutz nach Inhalt der Staatsverträge. Bestehen
| keine Staatsverträge, so besteht für solche Werke urheberrechtlicher
| Schutz, soweit in dem Staat, dem der Urheber angehört, nach einer
| Bekanntmachung des Bundesministers der Justiz im Bundesgesetzblatt
| deutsche Staatsangehörige für ihre Werke einen entsprechenden Schutz
| genießen.
As I as non-lawyer read them, they says that the state can make treaties
with other states about what copyright is given to members of the other
state. If there is no treaty with a state, then its citizens are given
the same rights as Germans are given when the ministry of justice
announced that their country protects the copyright of German citizens.
I.e. the reciprocity is "if you give my citizens copyright, I give it to yours."
I from what I remember to have read, it is quite common that the rules
of the local state apply and not the rules of the state of the author.
(At least I remember that the end of copyright of a work differs for the
same work even between the countries with Anglo-Saxon law systems).
I'm even less able to read english law texts, but 159 of British
"Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988" says:
| (1) Her Majesty may by Order in Council make provision for applying in
| relation to a country to which this Part does not extend any of the
| provisions of this Part specified in the Order, so as to secure that
| those provisions--
| (a) apply in relation to persons who are citizens or subjects of that
| country or are domiciled or resident there, as they apply to persons
| who are British citizens or are domiciled or resident in the United
| Kingdom, or
and later
| (3) Except in the case of a Convention country or another member State
| of the European Economic Community, Her Majesty shall not make an
| Order in Council under this section in relation to a country unless
| satisfied that provision has been or will be made under the law of
| that country, in respect of the class of works to which the Order
| relates, giving adequate protection to the owners of copyright under
| this Part.
Which I also read as "copyright for all works of this class here under
our rules, as far as the home state of the copyright holder would also
protect this class of works". And I think with class of works it means
classes like texts, paintings, radio broadcasts, software, ... and not
classes like "made as work for the government".
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
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