Abstract

Copyright and Common Sense

The period of copyright protection for an author's work is, under existing law, a first term of twenty- eight years with a possible renewal for a like period. The International Copyright Union protects an author's work during the remainder of his life after he has created the work and for fifty years after his death. It is one of the fundamental purposes of the Copyright Union to secure all possible uniformity in the protection of literary property, and this term of protection was adopted because it is now accorded by the legislation of most of the countries of Europe. In the copyright bill H. R. 12,549, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on January 13, 1931, the Copyright Union term was proposed. The Senate Committee on Patents, in lieu of this, suggested a direct term of seventy years. In the committee's report on the bill it was explained that in their opinion the proposed term in the House bill revealed inconsistencies which should be removed.