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GEORGE ORWELL IS THE PEN NAME of the English author, Eric Arthur Blair, who died at the early age of 49 in 1950 soon after publishing the very remarkable novel 1984, a harsh commentary on government restriction of civil rights. For a interesting summary of Blair's life and works go to an article by Richard Widmann. Ironically, Blair lived the life that Hemingway wrote about in For Whom the Bell Toils, fighting in the Spanish Civil War, first on the side of the Republicans, then turning against the Communists (yes, the Communists were part of the Spanish "Republican" movement) late in the war. If that confused you, go to the University of San Diego's summary of the Spanish Civil War for a brief insight. 1984 has become a symbol of the controversy surrounding intellectual property rights. Authors and their heirs (or in some cases multimedia publishers such as the Walt Disney Company) want to earn money on their property and strive for the expansion and enforcement of copyright laws covering works and even trademarks. On the other side advocates argue that creative arts should evolve to public property for free use after a period of time, the "Mickey to the Masses" bunch. The most notable in my regard is Michael Hart and the Gutenberg Project. Hart proposed that all literature be made freely available on the Internet. Project Gutenberg has succeeded in many way, digitizing and making many classics that are out of copyright available for download. All this is wonderful - unless you are an author or otherwise in the publishing industry and trying to make a living selling books. US copyright laws provide protection of works written before 1978 renewable for 95 years, or until 2044 in this particular case. The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act extended copyright for works created before 1978 from life of author plus 50 years to life plus 70. The global reach of the Internet in some cases has provided access to works published in countries other than the United States where the copyright has expired. So what applies if you are a resident of theUnited States? Are you subject to the more stringent U. S. copyright law, or can you legally access a foreign version where the copyright has expired? No surprise - it is illegal. The conundrum - a diligent search of the Internet will disclose sites that offer free downloads of 1984, legal outside the US, but illegal for those in the United States. Isn't it ironic that a book that advocates personal freedom is freely available for download - illegally, at least by US law. Literary pirates boast of freedom to read. Authors (and the publishing industry) would like to boast of earning a living - which most of us are unable to do just by writing. This is an unfortunate illustration of how works can be stolen in the electronic age, perhaps even easier than in print. In years past Taiwan was notorious for its street stall book markets where beautifully printed, but unauthorized copies of everything from Tolkein's Trilogy of the Rings to medical references could be cheaply purchased - all illegal and in disregard to anyone's copyright laws. Similar piracy of videos and software have triggered better world-wide enforcement of the protection of intellectual property. In our modern day world, electronic versions of popular books occasionally appear on the Internet, usually quickly removed when the publisher takes legal action. Many scoff at the "big business" protection of copyright, focused recently by the MP3 download phenomena and the legal efforts to prosecute offenders. Those of us who want to profit from our hard hours devoted to creating the works have a different view. So, if you want to read 1984, borrow a copy from your local library or order a used printed copy or ebook from Amazon.com, Fictionwise.com or one of the many other legitimate book sellers. If you don't want to take to time to read the book - a shame - obviously you are a victim of modern life - Newspeak.com, the current rights owner to 1984, provides a compelling synopsis, and also has licensed the development of a game entitled Big Brother based on the book. However, the current cure is possibly worse than the disease. The Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems employed by many sellers is not much more secure than the coded message I fictitiously used in Behind the Green Water, and broken by dedicated hackers about as quickly. But the encryption schemes are complex enough to cause significant purchaser/reader problems. So there! If you are an eBook author or publisher, beware of the many "deals" offering stolen eBook texts on the Internet. One suggested warning, for whatever it is worth, to post with your books: NOTICE: This novel is protected under Copyright Registration with the United States of America. No part or portion of this work may be used for re-sell or re-print either digitally or in print format by ANY entity other than the legal publisher of this work listed above. Re- sell or re-print of this work may not be used without the written permission of the author AND the publisher or without full monetary compensation of the work to both the author and legal publisher. Any infringement upon this copyright will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you have purchased this novel in a `re-sell packet', please inform the author and/or publisher. |
© 2000-2010 John M. Taylor |