If You Cannot Find the Owner - Columbia Copyright Advisory Office - 1 views
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et musiced on 02 Apr 11The situation is common: You want to use a copyrighted work beyond the limits of fair use or other copyright exception. You tracked down a likely copyright owner and have attempted to seek permission, but the effort simply has produced no conclusion. Worse, perhaps you did receive permission, but with burdensome conditions or a high price. Perhaps you wrote for permission, and the permission was flatly denied. In some situations, you might have little choice but to absorb the bad news and change your plans. Much more complex and frustrating, however, is when you exert an honest effort, but you simply cannot find a copyright owner or your efforts go unanswered. When you cannot identify or locate the current owner, the copyright materials are sometimes called "orphan works." Congress has considered legislation to address the problem of orphan works, but statutory protection is not yet forthcoming. In the meantime, what do you do when you reach that mysterious "dead end" of the quest?