[Coco] [Color Computer] Need to know if I'm in safe waters here

[Gene Heskett]

On Monday 23 July 2007, Zagros Sadjadi wrote:
>The earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons actually *are* in the public domain due
> to numerous technical errors that cannot be corrected or mitigated. See
> Vanpelt (1999):
> http://www.public.asu.edu/~dkarjala/publicdomain/Vanpelt-s99.html
>
Most intriguing to say the least.  However, the fact remains that Disney has 
millions to pay attorney's with, while we have zilch.  As long as he can 
harass folks with an unlimited budget without some judge finally seeing the 
frivolity of it and fining Disney and his attorney's an amount that will 
undeniably get their attention, the status will be quo.

BTW, the reign of terror the RIAA has been doing may well be coming to a just 
conclusion in at least two of those cases where the victim has fought back, 
with one case apparently about to reach into both the RIAA's pockets, but 
also the trained monkey attorney's involved.  In the first case, its up in 
the air just yet as to whether the judge assesses the RIAA for the the 
defendants attorney fees, a comparative pittance of <$1k, but the second such 
case the press is saying that the judge may even disbar the attorney's 
involved on the RIAA's behalf in addition to fining the RIAA for frivolous 
actions, he is steaming mad for their wasting the courts time.

In any event, it will take someone with fairly deep pockets to get a final 
verdict that Mickey is now PD, and actually make it stick.  And there are 
valid reasons it won't be me, starting with a profound lack of depth to my 
pockets.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
... but giving people the power to do even silly things is what Linux
is all about.

	- Linus Torvalds on linux-kernel