U.S. copyright law’s 1984ish treatment of Orwell book

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Yale LawMeme contributor Ernest Miller points to TeleRead’s reference to 1984 as a popular book that should be in the public domain by now. In Australia you can legally download 1984 for free amd keep it forever–but not in the States, thanks to special-interest legislation pushed by Disney and the rest.

Fascinatingly, 1984 is the tenth most borrowed title on a library-related list of best-sellers. Simply put, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act will cost society big bucks over the long run. It’s an efficient redistribution of wealth from consumers, schools and libraries to members of the copyright elite in Hollywood and elsewhere.

When will John Kerry and possible running mate John Edwards–the so-called populist, who sits on a copyright-related Senate committee–have the guts to speak out on this? Or is Hollywood money keeping them mute? An Edwards PAC received a million dollars from just one Hollywood producer, and neither the Senator’s office nor the producer would disclose to me the reasons for this generosity.

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