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From: rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16,net.legal
Subject: Re: Is Public Domain subject to national boundaries?
Message-ID: <789@ccird2.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Apr-86 10:08:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccird2.789
Posted: Thu Apr 24 10:08:01 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Apr-86 05:34:21 EDT
References: <8604022259.AA00201@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> <377@drivax.UUCP> <665@hoptoad.uucp> <294@hope.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Organization: CCI Telephony Systems Group,  Roch, NY
Lines: 18
Xref: watmath net.micro.atari16:561 net.legal:3326
Summary: U.S. laws have changed, International laws haven't.

In article <294@hope.UUCP> corwin@hope.UUCP (John Kempf) writes:
>> I just couldn't let that one go by.  "Not public domain in the United States"?
>> Supposed I get a public domain copy in Germany and bring it here?
>> Does it cease to be public domain?
>> -- 
>Hong Kong does not honor US copyright laws,...

International copyright agreements, and copyright laws of most countries
are patterned after the 1919 copyright laws.  The U.S. passed a revised
act in 1978 which improved protection of Broadcast, music, film, video,
and software.  Prior laws covered little more than works in "human readable
form".  Current laws cover almost anything that "can be captured long enough
to be reproduced".

If the copyright was registered in the United States, it would be protected
here, no matter how you got it.  If the copyright notice was removed in Germany
(because it's "public domain") and the software showed up in the U.S.,
you might be able to plead ignorance, but I doubt it would help.