{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "Copyright Act of 1790", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/145240007533/", "html": "Copyright Act of 1790\n

fyeahcopyright:

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From the Mount Vernon website:\u00a0

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On May 31, 1790, President Washington signed the Copyright Act of 1790 into law. Formally titled, \u201cAn act for the encouragement of learning by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,\u201d the legislation was the first law protecting copyright in the United States. The act explained that it intended to protect \u201cthe author and authors of any map, chart, book or books already printed within these United States,\u201d and that authors would \u201chave the sole right and liberty of printing, reprinting, publishing and vending such map, chart, book or books.\u201d Copies of the law bearing Washington\u2019s signature were re-printed in newspapers throughout the country.

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The term of copyright in 1790 was fourteen years\u00a0but it could be renewed for an additional fourteen years upon request/fee payment.\u00a0

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Can you imagine a world where everything created, filmed, written and drawn before 1988 was in the public domain?\u00a0

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It\u2019s almost unimaginable - but someone could try to write a story about it. ;)

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Ah well, at least we have fair use.\u00a0

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