I'm enjoying what Sigrid pointed out -- the irony of an IP query to an organization that is opposed to IP.  It's so illustrative of how poorly the so-called liberalism and free-market of capitalism handle an actual open, gift economy.

Do any of the early members still around have a hunch, at least, as to who might have authored or co-authored the article? 

At the same time, can we simply offer it to them with caveats?  And meanwhile, embrace some sort of Creative Commons understanding for the magazine?

Claudia Pine

On Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 9:06 AM, Sigrid Schmalzer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Cosima has also been in touch with me about this, and I haven't been able to help her much. It's a funny question, since intellectual property was anathema to the values of so many associated with SftP -- or at least not a value enshrined in the work people were doing in SftP. And in any case it's hard to know who holds the rights on an article published anonymously by a grassroots organization that dissolved 25 years ago.

If it were Coca-Cola wanting to co-opt the logo for corporate gain, it would probably be worth summoning copyright law to try (if possible) to defend against it. But since it's a PBS documentary wanting to use an article to engage in what is presumably a meaningful discussion, it seems not important to claim intellectual property in this case?

Obviously I wasn't there and have no say in it -- just making observations in case they're of interest.

Sigrid

Sigrid Schmalzer
Associate Professor, History Department
Director, Social Thought & Political Economy Program
UMass Amherst
On 3/12/2015 10:45 AM, Charles L. SCHWARTZ wrote:
Anyone want to try answering this inquiry?

Charlie
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Cosima Amelang <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 7:39 AM
Subject: SftP article in PBS documentary
To: [log in to unmask]


Dear Dr. Schwartz,

I'm writing from Shining Red Films, a documentary production company based in Washington, D.C. We are working on a two-hour special for PBS about Harvard biologist EO Wilson.

We are interested in including an article from the Science for the People Magazine in the film (in the chapter dealing with the controversy generated by Dr. Wilson's book Sociobiology): "AAAS Sociobiology on the Run" from the 1978 Vol. 10 No. 2 issue. Do you know who the rights holder of the article would be?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best,
Cosima


--
Cosima Amelang
Shining Red Films
7527 17th St NW
Washington, D.C. 20012





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