[Dixielandjazz] US COPYRIGHT LAW

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com> wrote about the 70 years after  
> composer death provision:
>
> Obviously, the composer is not normally 1 yrs old or something.  But  
> it
> still can add a good 50 years or so over the previous method of  
> measuring
> the years.

Dear Jim:

We can thank singer/songwriter Sonny Bono for that extension. After  
the breakup of Sonny & Cher, he entered politics, eventually becoming  
a US Congressman. He sponsored legislation extending copyright  
protection. He originally wanted longer term protection.  Congress  
passed and the president Clinton signed the new law in the fall of  
1998. That was about 9 months after Bono died in a skiing accident,  
after slamming into a tree. They named the law in his honor since he  
had been the principal sponsor..

Conspiracy theories about his death surfaced with several groups  
claiming that he was murdered by drug lords who opposed his fierce  
political fights against illegal drugs. The conspiracy folks claimed  
that Bono was being chased by two hit men on skiis and that he was  
fleeing from the at the time when he lost control and crashed in to  
the tree. Some also claim he was beaten to death after the accident  
and that US Drug enforcement people covered it up.

There were no witnesses.

The other major change was to protect 1923 to 1978 songs for 95 years  
instead of 75 years under the old law. That is why there are no new  
songs coming into PD at the moment.  Under the law before the change ,  
1923 songs would have become PD in 1998 (75 +23 = 98), 1924 songs PD  
in 1999 etc.

However, now, 1923 songs become PD in 2019, (95 + 23 = 2018 with those  
songs protected till the end of the year, hence PD in 2019) 1924 songs  
PD in 2020 etc.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband