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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0085  Sunday, 10 February 2008

[1] 	From:	Michael Egan <drmichaelegan@hawaii.rr.com>
	Date:	Wednesday, 6 Feb 2008 12:20:20 -1000
	Subj:	Re: SHK 19.0075 Books to Buy

[2] 	From:	Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
	Date:	Wednesday, 06 Feb 2008 17:38:34 -0500
	Subj:	Re: SHK 19.0075 Books to Buy

[3] 	From:	Joseph Egert <tregej@yahoo.com>
	Date:	Wednesday, 6 Feb 2008 14:44:08 -0800 (PST)
	Subj:	Re: SHK 19.0068 Books to Buy


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:		Michael Egan <drmichaelegan@hawaii.rr.com>
Date:		Wednesday, 6 Feb 2008 12:20:20 -1000
Subject: 19.0075 Books to Buy
Comment:	Re: SHK 19.0075 Books to Buy

I'm sorry that Gabriel is being tarred with my brush. We share a last 
name, leftish opinions and an interest in Shakespeare, but that's it.

I am more sorry that Larry Weiss uses the dismissive word 'plumping' to 
describe a seven-year, 2000-page study demonstrating in detail 
Shakespeare's authorship of Richard II, Part One.

--Michael Egan

[2]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:		Larry Weiss <larry@lweiss.net>
Date:		Wednesday, 06 Feb 2008 17:38:34 -0500
Subject: 19.0075 Books to Buy
Comment:	Re: SHK 19.0075 Books to Buy

 >I know that, despite Larry's accurate legal description of the
 >invalidity of assertions to copyright of images that are considered
 >to be "in the public domain," libraries and archives and other
 >"makers" like EEBO still insist on their right to charge permission
 >fees for reproduction of the images, arguing that they purchased
 >the equipment and expertise that enabled the images to be
 >digitized, and therefore own the process, not the work per se.

There is, indeed, a world of difference between charging a royalty for a 
work in the public domain and charging a fee for access to the work. The 
latter isn't even governed by copyright law, but, rather, by ordinary 
contract principles and (in some cases) the criminal law governing theft 
of services or even trespass. For example, the law that lets me make a 
copy of a First Folio does not allow me break into to Folger to make the 
copy. A library, photographic stock house and others who collect public 
domain images are perfectly free to charge for their services in 
gathering, keeping, indexing and retrieving them. A library that charges 
a fee for copies does nothing reprehensible in my opinion. After all, it 
does have to pay for the copier, its maintenance, the paper it consumes, 
the electricity it uses, the space it occupies and the labor of the 
employee who takes time to make the copy.

[3]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:		Joseph Egert <tregej@yahoo.com>
Date:		Wednesday, 6 Feb 2008 14:44:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: 19.0068 Books to Buy
Comment:	Re: SHK 19.0068 Books to Buy

Gabriel Egan declares:

 >I don't feel morally bound to adhere to such irrational rules when
 >copying materials for the general good of teaching and research,...

There is a larger issue at stake, however---namely Gab[riel]'s cheery 
defense of piracy, which will appeal to the Oedipal rebel in all of us. 
Such an antinomian thrust will, in a Burkean sense, further unmoor and 
destabilize society, until Vincentio is forced to find his Angelo. The 
ancient dilemma remains: should Socrates escape prison or drink the hemlock?

Gabriel again, still cutting his 'great road through the law to get 
after the Devil':

 >It is perfectly rational to defend piracy. I would go further: it is a
 >social good to liberate knowledge by piracy.

But Gabriel, 'when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on 
you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?...and if you cut 
them down, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that 
would blow then?'

Joe Egert (and Robert Bolt)

_______________________________________________________________
S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook, editor@shaksper.net
The S H A K S P E R Web Site <http://www.shaksper.net>

DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the 
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