Not any more. According to wikipedia,
"The Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) of 1998 extended copyright terms in
the United States by 20 years. Since the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright
would last for the life of the author plus 50 years, or 75 years for a work
of corporate authorship. The Act extended these terms to life of the author
plus 70 years and for works of corporate authorship to 120 years after
creation or 95 years after publication, whichever endpoint is earlier.[1]
Copyright protection for works published prior to January 1, 1978 was
increased by 20 years to a total of 95 years from their publication date.
This law, also known as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, Sonny
Bono Act, or pejoratively as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act, effectively
'froze' the advancement date of the public domain in the United States for
works covered by the older fixed term copyright rules. Under this Act,
additional works made in 1923 or afterwards that were still copyrighted in
1998 will not enter the public domain until 2019 or afterward (depending on
the date of the product) unless the owner of the copyright releases them
into the public domain prior to that or if the copyright gets extended
again. Unlike copyright extension legislation in the European Union, the
Sonny Bono Act did not revive copyrights that had already expired. The Act
did extend the terms of protection set for works that were already
copyrighted, and is retroactive in that sense. However, works created before
January 1, 1978 but not published or registered for copyright until recently
are addressed in a special section (17 U.S.C. § 303) and may remain
protected until 2047. The Act became Pub.L. 105-298 on October 27, 1998."
-Rex-
Rex Lint, Consultant
26 Brek Drive
Merrimack, NH 03054
PH: 603-860-7651
-----Original Message-----
From: amps-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces@contesting.com] On
Behalf Of Larry
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 4:25 PM
To: amps@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [Amps] Heathkit SB220 manual
Not to prolong the agony of such discussions, but a copyright in the US is
good for 28 years and can be renewed once (at least the last time I looked a
few years ago) making the maximum time of copyright to be 56 years. It is up
to the copyright owner to enforce the copyright.
73, Larry W6NWS
----- Original Message -----
From: "KB0NLY" <kb0nly@mchsi.com>
To: <amps@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Amps] Heathkit SB220 manual
> Well I think its a tad ridiculous to be upholding a copyright on a manual
> for a 40-50 year old piece of equipment! For crying out loud, I can go to
> any of the manufacturers and download a manual for a brand new piece of
> equipment!
>
> All I know is that I'm not about to pay $20-$30 for a manual that should
> be
> free by now.
>
> 73,
>
> Scott
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeff Carter" <amps@hidden-valley.com>
> To: <amps@contesting.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 1:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [Amps] Heathkit SB220 manual
>
>
>>I agree, they'll always be available on sites outside the US, and
>> available quietly through individuals who are in love with these old
>> boxes.
>>
>> Some users of old radio gear in other countries, most notably Russia,
>> think our current predicament with "intellectual property" laws is
>> totally hilarious. They love to tease Americans about it.
>>
>> One of them said to me in a private exchange: OM, it's horrible the
>> tyranny under which you live. We would find this intolerable. I
>> would urge you to come to Russia so that you may be free...
>>
>> I didn't answer him on the point. For all I know, he's right. I've
>> never been there.
>>
>> I'm an honorably discharged veteran of the US Military, and all my
>> life before that I was taught how troublesome the rest of the world
>> was in one way or another. The Internet, in its capacity as a window
>> on the world, is showing quite a different picture and complementing
>> what Amateur Radio caused us to suspect all along. Ham radio gave us
>> the soundtrack to a movie we're only beginning to be able to see.
>>
>> Jeff/KD4RBG
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>>>Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:26:38 -0500
>>>From: "KB0NLY" <kb0nly@mchsi.com>
>>>Subject: Re: [Amps] Heathkit SB220 manual
>>>To: <amps@contesting.com>
>>>
>>>>From what I heard someone bought the rights to the old manuals, and
>>>>because
>>>of such only those who pay for the privilege to redistribute them can do
>>>so.
>>>I see BAMA has removed some but not all of the heathkit manuals.
>>>
>>>There is about a dozen websites with heathkit manuals though, and some of
>>>them are overseas. I don't see them all disappearing anytime soon.
>>>
>>>73,
>>>
>>>Scott
>> _______________________________________________
>> Amps mailing list
>> Amps@contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
>
>
>
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