Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Is it really true? Other than differences in copyright terms, what is protected by copyright now that would not have been in 1966?
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Copyright wasn't automatic in 1966. The 1976 Copyright Act changed this, and as of January 1, 1978, copyright is automatic. So in 1966, all the notes you took, letters you wrote, etc. would only have been protected by copyright if you specifically sought to get them copyrighted. The same went for photographs, home movies, etc. Copyright has expanded in other ways too. For example, architectural works weren't copyrightable in the US until 1990.
Combine with the greatly extended duration of copyright now and you have both a
lot more stuff being copyrighted today and for
significantly longer periods of time. Also, prior to 1976, copyright required you to renew it after 28 years to receive an additional 28 years of protection. But the reality was, not many people bothered to renew:
The stats there are from William Patry's book,
Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars.