Squeaking Into the Public Domain

American copyright is a strange beast. The law can be a bit complex, but to sum it up, a creator (or the creator’s estate) can hold exclusive copyright to a work for 70 years after the author’s death or 95 years after publication. After that time, the works are released to the public domain. When a work is in the public domain, it can be rebroadcast, reworked, streamed, performed, and so on and so forth free of charge! This can spur a massive amount of creativity and help bring to light some older classics.

Works entering the public domain this year include: 

• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag (the oldest American picture book still in print)
• House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (Tigger’s first appearance) 
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (a silent French film, often considered a landmark of cinema and known for its unique cinematography) 
• Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (a book at the center of multiple famous obscenity trials) 
• Animal Crackers (a film by the Marx Brothers. The songs written for the film, such as “Hello I Must Be Going” and “Hooray for Captain Spaulding!” also enter the public domain). 
• The Man Who Laughs (an influential German Expressionist film, best known for its influence on Universal horror movies and the Batman villain the Joker)

Trademark Basics

The Mississippi Library Commission is pleased to announce that Trademark Basics, an informative workshop, will be held at our facility August 6, 2015 from 9:00 am - 11:30 am. Organized by Lawrence Smith, our Patent and Trademark Librarian and presented by Managing Attorney for Trademark Outreach at the US Patent and Trademark Office Craig Morris, this event will shed light on the mysterious and complex world of trademarks. A few of the many talking points are:

• Learn how trademark, copyright, patent, domain name, and business name registrations all differ.
• Critical factors to select a trademark that will be both federally registerable and legally protectable.
• The importance of doing a complete search and whether an attorney should be used.
• What may happen if another trademark owner believes it has stronger rights in a mark and issues a "cease-and-desist" letter.
• Information that the USPTO does in the federal registration process and how to avoid "scams" perpetrated by companies that request fees for services not required by the USPTO.

Email Mr. Smith at lsmith@mlc.lib.ms.us to RSVP. Light refreshments will be provided.