Quote:
Originally Posted by elcreative
Why do we have to bring the government into a civil matter... copyright takes place at the act of creation... no need for a government (and doubtless expensive) database... if there's a post-facto problem over copyright and whether an item is PD then if a mistake is made then just compensate at normal commercial royalty rates...
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That'd be fine if there were any "normal commercial royalty rates."
What's the royalty on a book that's never been marketed as an ebook? (What's the cost for an epub version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? Should it be based on hardcover price, trade paperback, cheapest mmpb cost, or something else?)
How about a limited-print run book from a now-deceased author? (Used copies of Chumbley's Azoetia sell for about $1000 on ebay.)
And are they paid to the author (or heirs) or the publisher? (I'm not sure "royalty" is the right word, when it's "full cost of the book"--or does the publisher get cut out of this equation?)
If the publisher's gone, to whom are they paid? (I have The Unity Trilogy by Meisha Merlin... if I scan & convert it to an ebook, do I owe them, or the new publishers who owns the ebook rights?)