[THE_EPISTLE] copyrights

[Debora]

Public domain... Copyrights... Rights owner... Etc... What an interesting argument! I read in 1983 there was the war of bonds, a battle between Roger Moore and Sean Connery: the official Octopussy VS the unofficial Never say never again. And I read the rights battle was more exciting then the two movies (personally i saw the 2 movies in DVD and I prefer Roger's Octopussy).
Was the Val Kilmer movie endorsed by Saint Club? There is not reference to Charteris in the credits.

Debora



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Martin Schwartz 
  To: THEEPISTLE at OGHAM.ORG 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 8:15 PM
  Subject: [THE_EPISTLE] copyrights


  Lupin is public domain.  Holmes is public domain tho' some publishers
  still pay for authorization from the descendants.  In the US, some of
  the oldest Charteris stories may be out of copyright tho Charteris, as I
  recall, and Ian can answer this better than I, was so scrupulous about
  maintaining his rights, that a way may have been found around this.  In
  any event, the stick figure is a trademark and, if reprinted in recent
  editions of the canon, might be renewable indefinitely, along with the
  name, "The Saint".
  I say this because I was involved last year in reproducing a radio play
  of the old "Superman" radio series at the LA branch of the Museum of
  Broadcasting.  The name "Superman" could be used but other names, like
  "Clark Kent", had to be changed.  Go figure.