New Act removes art works from public domain

Under the Act, foreign works that had been allowed into the public domain in the US as a result of failure to follow US copyright formalities are now eligible for automatic copyright restoration. Works that were once a free-for-all for artists and entertainers in the US are now off-limits, reports The National Law Journal. Colette Vogele, a copyright attorney, who is currently challenging the constitutionality of the Act, believes that restoring copyrights to works that have been in the public domain stunts cultural development and creativity by artists. Vogele said 48 000 individual works of art have been affected by the restoration Act. Full report in The National Law Journal