copyright question

[A. Joseph Ross]

On 26 Mar 2010 at 1:29, Donna Halper wrote:

> That was exactly my area of confusion-- there is no more Plough 
> Broadcasting, and I too wanted to use a WCOP survey in my article--
> but I can't imagine who could grant me permission.  SO are you saying
> the copyright renewed automatically in 1987, or are you saying I might
> be able to use it under "fair use"?  I figure that using a WRKO survey
> from the top-40 days requires asking somebody at the current WRKO and
> hoping for the best.  But those long since defunct stations are what
> puzzled me.    

No, copyrights didn't self-renew until March 1989.  If a copyright's 
first term expired in 1987, the copyright expired unless it was 
renewed by a filing in the Copyright Office, and that can be 
ascertained.

Usually there is someone who takes over the assets of companies that 
liquidate.  What became of Plough Broadcasting?  Did someone buy it 
out?

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
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