Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.10 $; site convexs Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!convex!convexs!ayers From: ayers@convexs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: International Star Registry - A Cle Message-ID: <14100010@convexs> Date: Wed, 11-Dec-85 16:51:00 EST Article-I.D.: convexs.14100010 Posted: Wed Dec 11 16:51:00 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 14-Dec-85 00:53:29 EST References: <528@cylixd.UUCP> Lines: 33 Nf-ID: #R:cylixd.UUCP:528:convexs:14100010:000:1546 Nf-From: convexs.UUCP!ayers Dec 11 15:51:00 1985 >It's Christmas season again, and time for the annual deluge of >advertisements on talk radio stations concerning the "International >Star Registry." > >Now this carefully worded ad sounds real nice, but it occurs to me that >I could say the exact same thing this ad says if I just decide to call >myself "International Star Registry," get a sky atlas, and start naming >stars after people for a $35 fee; after all, it only costs me $10 to the >Copyright Office to get any book registered with the Library of Congress. >(ANY published work submitted for copyright registration must be >accompanied by a second edition that will automatically go in the >Library of Congress.) So once I have named a few stars, I send in my 10 bucks and presto! The International Star Registry book is now >"official!" Your suspicions are well founded. That was exactly what they planned to do. I have followed the "International Star Registry" folks with interest for awhile now for several reasons. One, I used to teach astrophysics at college before getting a real job, and two (because of "one"), a friend gave me a gift of a binary star named after me (through these people). This year (spring/summer?) the ISR folks tried to do exactly what the above poster said and the Library of Congress TURNED DOWN THE REGISTRATION! Said it wasn't really a book and refused to give it an ISBN number. So, unless they have been able to get that changed, they are advertising something they can't come through on... blues, II