* * * * *
                                        
                                  Out of Print
                                        
> Perhaps. Works out of print and not in circulation do present a vexation,
> and perhaps a wrong to be remedied. Protecting the creator's right to those
> works gives the creator little to nothing, and deprives the public of their
> use; this seems an odd allocation of the public resources needed to protect
> the rights. Clearly a matter for legal clarification.
> 
> Some cases, though, are clear: authors make more money if they, their
> agents, and their publishers, agree to let a work stay unavailable for a
> time then reissue it. This is not so much a phenomenon of the public as it
> is of the distribution system, but in any event, it does work, and your
> scheme would destroy that stratagem. Is this your intent? Is it your right?
> 

Jerry Pournelle on Copyright and Napster [1]

> Ninety-nine percent of what I have created in the last fifteen years is in
> print and available. There hasn't been a month go by since 1979 that I
> haven't made money on the story in Cerebus #1. Cerebus is creator-owned,
> yes, but more important it is creator-controlled. The critical element of
> control is a work being in print and available. If it is not in print and
> available and you would like it to be, you do not have control over it.
> 

Dave Sim's Pro-Con '93 Speech [2]

This is the second time [3] I've referenced Dave Sim, [4] the comic book
artist responsible for Cerebus, but it's interesting reading the two
contrasting points of view here.

[1] http://www.jerrypournelle.com/mail/mail111.html#Sunday
[2] http://www.teleport.com/~ennead/ampersand/sim/procon.html
[3] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:1999/12/04.1
[4] http://www.teleport.com/~ennead/ampersand/sim/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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