Forum: Author Hangout

All this talk about 'requirement' is entirely misguided. There is NO requirement for authors to submit their works to a central repository anywhere! It's simply a badly phrased 'call for submissions'. So let's climb off our own hysteria.

In Australia there is a legal requirement with a penalty of a fine of $100 or more for each time you don't do it. The NLA doesn't appear to be enforcing it, but they could.

There is NO requirement for authors to submit their works to a central repository anywhere!

17 U.S. Code § 407 - Deposit of copies or phonorecords for Library of Congress

(a) Except as provided by subsection (c), and subject to the provisions of subsection (e), the owner of copyright or of the exclusive right of publication in a work published in the United States shall deposit, within three months after the date of such publication—

(1)

two complete copies of the best edition; or

(2)

if the work is a sound recording, two complete phonorecords of the best edition, together with any printed or other visually perceptible material published with such phonorecords.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/407

ETA: There are also fines defined in that section for failure to comply with the submission requirements.

In traditional publishing, it's normally the publisher who takes care of dispensing requisite copies.

My own, uninformed, take on self-publishing in the UK is that nobody submits copies of self-published works to the authorities unless on an ego-trip.

AJ

(a) Except as provided by subsection (c), and subject to the provisions of subsection (e), the owner of copyright or of the exclusive right of publication in a work published in the United States shall deposit, within three months after the date of such publication—

Copyright is separate from a submission requirement. You're not required to submit a copyright, and your work is still protected, even if you don't. What's more, you can't be arrested for something you submit for copyright (only for shipping pornographic work across state lines).

Copyright is separate from a submission requirement

You need to reread what (a) states. It has nothing to do with copyrighting the work. It says the Owner of the copyright must submit the work that has been copyrighted and published within 3 months of the publication date.

It is an interesting situation EB. Can you imagine what would happen if everyone who publishes something (i.e, in print and verbally} were to submit it to the appropriate organization.

I know. Since I'm now 30 months into a legal battle due to being bitten by an unpublicised law change I felt I should just let everyone know what the article said, then let them decide what action they wish to take. I've already started depositing e-copies with the NLA to cover my butt. Others can do what they want.

It is limited to artistic creations, not everything anybody writes or says.

Everything I write is artistic, even forum posts.

Australian authors may protest against this inequity by refusing to vote.
Hold on! ... We can be fined for that too.

That's why so many often vote for the donkeys or informal.

I am very much in favour of compulsory (attendance to) voting.

Another aspect where we have it over the US system is for the federal, state, and local elections we have to be registered on the rolls before hand, and we have to prove a legal right to be on the rolls before they list us. Thus non-citizens have absolutely no say in any of the elections.