-----Original Message-----
From: Elliott West <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, 17 January, 1999 07:02 AM
Subject: NCC Washington Update, Vol 5, January 13, 1999
 
 
>NCC Washington Update, vol 5, #2, January 13, 1999
>   by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating
>      Committee for the Promotion of History <[log in to unmask]>
>
>1.  Lawsuit Filed Against the Copyright Extension Act
>2.  Update on Millennium Grants
>
>1.  Lawsuit Filed Against the Copyright Extension Act -- On January 12
>the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School and
>the Washington law firm of Hale and Dorr submitted on behalf of the
>Eldritch Press a complaint in the United States District Court for the
>District of Columbia that calls for the recently passed Copyright Term
>Extension Act of 1998 (Public Law No. 105-298) to be declared
>unconstitutional.  The new law extends copyright protection for twenty
>years.  The original copy right statute of 1790 granted copyright terms
>of 14 years, with a 14 year renewal period.  This was extended in 1831
>to 28 years, with the renewal term of 14 years.  In 1909 the renewal
>term was broadened to 28 years, creating a total possible copyright
>term of 56 years.  In 1962 Congress passed a series of laws that in
>some cases extended copyright for as long as 70 years.  Amendments
>passed in 1976 extended the total term allowable to 75 years.  The
>Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 extended the total term, in some
>cases, to as much as 95 years.
>
>Established in 1995 Eldritch Press, a non-profit association, is
>committed to demonstrating the expanded capabilities of electronic
>books and to making available on the Internet books that are in the
>public domain.  The National Endowment for the Humanities' edSITEment
>project has recognized the Eldritch Press Web site as one of the 20
>best humanities sites on the Web.  The Eldritch Press often posts works
>as soon as the works enter the public domain and had intended, for
>example, to post this year Robert Frost's "New Hampshire," which was
>published in 1923.  However, the new law would make the posting of this
>work a criminal offense.
>
>The complaint filed in court argues that the U.S. Constitution provides
>for authors and inventors to have exclusive rights to their respective
>writings and discoveries for only a "limited" time.  Upon the
>expiration of a copyright, the Constitution envisions the material to
>be freely copyable and usable by anyone as a means "to promote the
>Progress of Science and useful Arts."  The complaint states that the
>Congress has been continually extending copyright retroactively and has
>far exceeded the intent of the Constitution of "limited" protection.
>The extension to protection by another 20 years, the complaint argues,
>undermines the promotion of the public good.
>
>The Eldritch Press Web which includes works of American literature as
>well as French and Russian literature, may be found at
><http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/>.  More information on this case can be
>found at <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/eldredvreno> .
>
>2.  Update on Millennium Grants -- The Administration is working
>quickly to develop procedures for awarding the $30 million provided in
>the FY'99 budget for the Millennium initiative called Save Americas
>Treasures. Twenty-five federal agencies can apply to receive a portion
>of the Millennium money and the National Park Service will serve as the
>central administrative office for this initiative.  Three federal
>agencies -- the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NEA, and
>the NEH -- will make as part of their agency's request projects from
>non-federal entities.  Save Americas Treasures Program is intended to
>support historic preservation and conservation project work on historic
>places, properties, artifacts, collections, monuments, and works of
>art.  Projects must be nationally significant and have an education
>component.
>
>The draft of the application form for non-federal applicants will be
>available on January 14 at the National Endowment for the Humanities
>Web site at <http://www.neh.fed.us> and also at the Institute of Museum
>and Library Service web site at <http://www.i mls.fed.us>.
>Instructions for filling out the applications are still being prepared
>and thus are not yet available.  The awards will range from $50,000 to
>$3 million and require a fifty/fifty match of non-federal money.  This
>means that the smallest project to be funded would be $100,000.  The
>streamlined application form focuses on questions of why the property,
>artifact, or collection is threatened or endangered, what work would be
>supported by the grant, what would be the educational benefit of this
>proposal, and how would the money be used, with a fairly detailed
>description required of the project budget, specifying matching funds.
>
>The deadline for applications is February 1.  Project applications from
>non-federal entities and organizations are to be sent to the Institute
>of Museum and Library Services, Save Americas Treasures, 1100
>Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20506.  The Institute of Museum
>and Library Services, the NEA, and the NEH will coordinate the review
>of the applications and put together the packet of applications that
>will then be forwarded to the National Park Service.  The legislative
>language accompanying this appropriation requires consultation with the
>appropriate congressional committees on selection criteria and final
>project section. The Department of Interior, working through the
>National Park Service and the White House Millennium Council will
>manage the final coordination with the Congress.  For more information
>on this project contact the Institute of Museum and Library Services at
>the following e-mail: <[log in to unmask]>.
>
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