"My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, above all, to make you see." -- Joseph Conrad (1897)
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Anyone Familiar With Copyright Laws?
I just found out that Norton anthologies reproduced one of my writings--without any notice or payment...
Where was the writing oringally published? Although very bad form not to tell you, if you've previously published it and signed your copyright away, it's a whole different ballgame...
You should double-check whatever you signed when you initially published it. But assuming you did retain all future publication rights, then Norton's use violates your copyright. You should contact them -- or, preferably, have a lawyer contact them on your behalf. If you don't know any lawyers, you should be able to get a referral through the bar association for your city/state.
Yeah, unfortunately at the time I wrote it I didn't know what a creative commonslicense was... I get the feeling though with the corporate raiding of creative works that they will soon get a test case.
Oso--do you still want to write the profile of Global Voices for the blogger issue?
Where was the writing oringally published? Although very bad form not to tell you, if you've previously published it and signed your copyright away, it's a whole different ballgame...
ReplyDeleteIt was published in a print journal, but the rights were retained by me.
ReplyDeleteYou should double-check whatever you signed when you initially published it. But assuming you did retain all future publication rights, then Norton's use violates your copyright. You should contact them -- or, preferably, have a lawyer contact them on your behalf. If you don't know any lawyers, you should be able to get a referral through the bar association for your city/state.
ReplyDeleteThanks Continental Op,
ReplyDeleteI had you in mind when I wrote the question--I never signed anything away and I'm currently drafting a letter through a lawyer.
I'll update when I learn more (so others are aware of their rights in this regard)
Yeah, unfortunately at the time I wrote it I didn't know what a creative commonslicense was... I get the feeling though with the corporate raiding of creative works that they will soon get a test case.
ReplyDeleteOso--do you still want to write the profile of Global Voices for the blogger issue?