GregHowley.com

Now that's too bad. Let's see - Scott Joplin died in 1917. I wonder what the soundtrack for "The Sting" would have sounded like if that music hadn't been in the public domain in 1973 when the movie was made?

(Funny story there - most movie goers were so ignorant they thought the mostly 1890 - 1910 music was contemporary for 1933, when the film was set. Some guy actually tried to tell me Marvin Hamlisch _wrote_ the rags!)

Anyway, a lot of movie and TV people just won't pay royalties (Drew Carey being a notable exception - his shows have 'real' Rock-'n'-Roll in them), so look forward to more lame music on TV, especially.

There's a very good reason copyrights expire, which has always been built into the system. A reason having nothing to do with royalties. The fact is, there are only so many ways to say something. That's why you can't copyright a book title.

When you start seeing (TM), (C) and (REG) next to things like "The Force," "Starship Enterprise" and the like, it's time to take a close look at the system.

Oh well -- at least I can still play Mozart!