sean(a)epoptic.com wrote:
On Fri, May 18, 2007 at 01:34:33AM -0700, Ray Saintonge
wrote:
If there is a documented assignment of rights this
should pose no
problems. In the long term, however, we need to be more open and less
bureaucratic when rights are claimed by inheritance. Books that were
written long ago are often forgotten when wills are written, or if there
is an intestacy. Things can get worse when we are two of three
generations removed, or there are large families.
That describes this case rather well. Granddad dies, leaving everything
to his third wife, my step-grandmother. She dies, leaving everything to
her daughter, my half-aunt. She then enters a convent, after assigning
all copyrights to me.
I presume that the Marie who renewed the copyright in 1990 was that
third wife?
Those two previous wills would be a pain to look up. I
have my
half-aunt's assignment, which is good enough for the publishers to send
me the royalties, but will it be enough for the hardcore fetishists?
No argument from me, but in the general scheme of things looking up
those wills would be relatively easy compared to the hurdles others may
face when confronted by these robots..
Ec