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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ulysses!gamma!pyuxww!pyuxa!wetcw
From: wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler)
Newsgroups: net.followup,net.legal,net.flame
Subject: Re: Copyright Violations/Humor/Satire/Michael J/Wierd Al/etc.
Message-ID: <645@pyuxa.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 27-Mar-84 08:45:09 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxa.645
Posted: Tue Mar 27 08:45:09 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Mar-84 01:15:47 EST
References: <437@sequent.UUCP>, <275@opus.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 18

[]
Mr Schwartz has every right in the US to post and claim copyright.
This method is recognized by the courts.  If you ever write something
you wish to be published, put a copyright notice on the material, make
a copy, then mail the copy (making sure you get a post office date stamp
on it) to yourself or anyone else you wan  to hold it.  Then send the
other copy to the publisher.  According to copyright law, this is sufficient
to protect your rights.  It is done all the time by authors to protect
themselves from unscrupulous publishers.  You can then apply for an
official copyright from the government.  Copyrights are good for 54
years and are renewable for 17 year periods thereafter.  Very few
authors take advantage of the renewing process.  But, beware of trying
to republish anything Mark Twain did, the family has been renewing his
copyrights right along.  There is very little of Twain's that is not
still protected under copyright.

T. C. Wheeler