From my friend Robert Spoo:
"You may have heard of the difficulties and confusion that individuals have experienced in attempting to know when they can and cannot make use of older copyrighted works. This has especially been the case for those who have wanted to quote from, adapt, or perform potentially copyrighted works by James Joyce. Are such works in the public domain? In which countries? If thery are still in copyright, are they subject to fair use or another exemption? Can noncommercial readings of Ulysses or Finnegans Wake still be planned?
To address these concerns, the International James Joyce Foundation appointed a panel consisting of four members (Professors Paul Saint-Amour, Carol Shloss, Michael Groden, and myself) to research the copyright laws of various relevant countries and, so far as was possible, to learn about the copyright permissions policies and practices of the James Joyce Estate. After months of work, the panel produced its findings in the form of a list of Frequently Asked Questions, which may be viewed on the IJJF web site at http://english.osu.edu/organizations/ijjf/."
Good stuff, from some very good people. The principles found in the FAQ should apply well-beyond Joyce's works.
In response to the limitations placed on the study of James Joyce by his grandson (see this article in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060619fa_fact),
the Stanford Center for Internet and Society has filed a lawsuit seeking a judgement that a website containing quotes from James Joyce and family members does not violate copyright law. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California District Court, can be found here:
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/Complaint%20Endorsed%20Filed%206-12-06.pdf
Posted by: Raizel | June 14, 2006 at 12:39 PM
It's working now ...
http://english.osu.edu/organizations/ijjf/
Posted by: Mary | June 14, 2006 at 09:48 AM
Wanted to look at the frequently asked questions link above but it's not working.
Posted by: Jane Gowman | June 14, 2006 at 02:39 AM