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Supreme Court Says Congress May Re-Copyright Public Domain Works

By David Kravets   
January 18, 2012  1:56 pm

Congress may take books, musical compositions and other works out of the public domain, where they can be freely used and adapted, and grant them copyright status again, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a 6-2 ruling, the court said that, just because material enters the public domain, it is not “territory that works may never exit.”
 

The top court was ruling on a petition by a group of orchestra conductors, educators, performers, publishers and film archivists who urged the justices to reverse an appellate court that ruled against the group, which has relied on artistic works in the public domain for their livelihoods.

Read more at the original link: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/scotus-re-copyright-decision/