30 Jan
2007
30 Jan
'07
9:35 p.m.
On 30 Jan 2007 at 21:53, Evan Koblentz wrote:
It's all right here:
http://www.macmillan.com/Permissions.asp but you have
to figure out (or leave it up to them to figure out) which Macmillan
division applies to the publication you're looking to republish. From my
experience, you should strongly emphasize that you're a hobbyist and/or
researcher, and that your intended use is strictly educational and
non-commercial.
Well, good luck with that. I've had my fill of experience with the
music publishers--you find an old piece, say, from 1932 and you want
to get a legal copy. So you write the publisher and get the response
that "sorry, it's out of print--and you may not copy an existing
copy". Okay, you ask them if they can sell you a reprint--the
response can vary from "no, we don't do reprints" to "yes, we do
reprints, and our fee is $150 per page for a barely-readable
photocopy"
Don't be surprised of Macmillian gives you flat-out "no".
Such is the state of affairs as regards copyright. I keep telling
myself that surely, this can't be what was intended by the founding
fathers. Consider that our national anthem was a bald-faced ripoff
of an English drinking society song.
But then, that was then and this is now.
Cheers,
Chuck