RE: Thoughts on Licences

On 2004-08-25 14:16:08 +0100 Anton van Straaten 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> [...] Restricting our
> potential publishers to a very short list is what we're trying to 
> avoid.

You don't do that by guessing and handwaving. I also don't think this 
is a particularly important aim, as the list is going to be short 
anyway.

>> Even with an anti-commercial clause, this group is still not going to
>> be able to engage in a standard publishing contract. Standard
>> contracts have terms like: "The Author hereby grants to the 
>> publishers
>> the sole and exclusive right and licence throughout the world for the
>> legal term of copyright: (a) to produce print publish and sell the
>> Work or any abridgement of the Work or any part of the Work in volume
>> form (b) To grant licences sell or otherwise exploit (i) Anthology
>> digest and quotation rights (ii) Serial rights (iii) Broadcasting
>> rights (iv) Television rights (v) Film rights (vi) Recording rights
>> (vii) Translation rights (viii) All other rights not specifically
>> referred to otherwise in this Agreement but which may now or 
>> hereafter
>> be capable of exploitation by an owner of copyright in the Work."
> Regarding the suggestion I made (as opposed to Noel's which I haven't 
> yet
> internalized), the "work" would be the compilation, and the above 
> rights in
> that work can all be granted, as the publisher expects.

I just checked and in the contract I quoted from, the "work" is 
defined as the text. Trying to use the compilation as the "work" looks 
like it would require a custom contract anyway, so you might as well 
start by asking for the Earth and then see what you can get.

>> [...] Has anyone else here actually checked the
>> copyright terms of a publisher's book contract? I didn't spot it in
>> the archives.
> I have some experience, having been involved with two book contracts 
> [...]

I don't doubt that, but it's not what I asked. Let me be clearer: Have 
you checked the copyright terms of publisher book contracts and can 
you share the relevant wording with us, please?

Even so, I'm curious why you write "involved with". It's a weaker 
statement than I expected for you. If we're sharing relevant 
experiences now: myself, I've signed at least three contracts for 
(different pieces of) my written work, refused one and I've been paid 
for use of some other written work besides those.

-- 
MJR/slef    My Opinion Only and not of any group I know
http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ for creative copyleft computing
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