Talk:Conger (syndicate)

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Another aspect of the Conger's operations, ended with the Statute of Queen Anne, has considerable contemporary relevance. The Conger also functioned as a copyright syndicate operation. Thus, Smith had purchased from Shakespeare or his company the copyright to the plays. Successors and assigns to that right still existed ca 1700 claiming the exclusive right (80 years after Bill's death) to publish his plays. And were upheld in that claim by the courts. Until passage of the Statute canceled the claim and established a limited term for copyright and thus for exclusive exploitation of creative work (at least for literary work) for commercial or other reasons. The application to the the contemporary scene is obvious (see Digital Rights Managment.

Someone who is better familiar with the legal history than I should have a whack at revising this article to reflect the copyright angle. A reasonable place to start is Lessig's Free Culture, from an expert on intellectual property and its history. His coverage of the Conger is in re copyright will be a good place to begin.

ww 22:06, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)