Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 1977

Copyright: The New Law's Major Revisions Affecting Writers

Irving E. Stephens Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Abstract

The copyright reform bill should become law in January, 1978. Among its major revisions are the extension of protection for life plus fifty years and the mitigation of penalties for either omission of notice or “innocent infringement.” For the first time the law specifically identifies “fair use” and certain other copying practices as user rights. The issues of integrity of text and the use of protected text within computer systems have not been treated. The law's text itself remains general in the hope that it will prove to be a flexible vehicle for the future. An era of informal agreements and litigation between publishers and users can be anticipated. Scientific and technical publishing must be recognized as a special area within the publishing community on the verge of change.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1977-04-01
DOI
10.2190/cdxd-qr0m-whdu-jd1w
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
digital rhetoric
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References (17)

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     ↗
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    Copyright: Librarians and the Law
  5. U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8.
Show all 17 →
  1. Beard J. (1974)
    Annual Review of Information Science and Technology
  2. Senate Document
  3. Senate Document
  4. Pforzheimer W. L. (1964)
    Reprography and Copyright Law
  5. Jacobs M. C. (1966)
    Computers and the Law
  6. Lieb C. H. (1972)
    Copyright—The Librarian and the Law
  7. Senate Document
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  9. Senate Document
  10. Clapp V. W. (1972)
    Copyright: Librarians and the Law
  11. Zurkowski P. (1972)
    Copyright—The Librarian and the Law
  12. 10.1038/262731a0
     ↗
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