In message <20090119110756.ga18...@pcpool00.mathematik.uni-freiburg.de>, Bernhard R. Link <brl...@debian.org> writes
* 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 ยง
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.

That's what I understood. I thought it was "equality of treatment", not "reciprocity". Corporate works in the US have (I believe) a lifetime of 95 years. In Europe it's 50 or 70 (probably 70). So, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, it is quite possible for a US work to be copyright in the US but public domain in Europe, if it's between 70 and 95 years old.

Equality says "if a European company could sue in Europe, then an American company must be able to also. If the European company can't sue, then neither can an American company in like circumstances".

Actually, that also means a European-created work can be copyright in the US after the European copyright has expired ...

Cheers,
Wol
--
Anthony W. Youngman - anth...@thewolery.demon.co.uk


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