More than 8,000 items have disappeared from the British Library since it moved to new premises. “Some disappearances were thefts, with collectors using razors to cut rare maps out of books. But the biggest theft is believed to have been carried out by a contractor who stole £17,000 worth of comics from a storage area. These included the first issue of the Beano to contain its iconic character, Dennis the Menace, dated March 17, 1951, and rare copies of the Dandy and Eagle.”
Tag: 03.01.05
Copyright Kills The TV DVD
Wondering why you can’t buy DVDs of your favorite TV series? “For many TV shows, costs to license the original music for DVD are prohibitively high, so rights owners replace the music with cheaper tunes, much to the irritation of avid fans. And some shows, like WKRP, which is full of music, will probably never make it to DVD because of high licensing costs.”
Judge: Rachmaninoff Manuscript Case Goes Forward
A judge has ruled that a challenge to the ownership and sale of a Rachmaninoff manuscript can go ahead. “The Russian composer’s score for his Second Symphony was expected to fetch around £500,000 at the Sotheby’s sale. But the 300-page work was withdrawn after members of Rachmaninov’s family claimed to be the true owners. Sotheby’s sought to have the case dismissed but a judge ruled both sides could win so the case must proceed.”
Musicians Lobby Supreme Court To Spare File-Sharing Services
A group of prominent musicians is urging the US Supreme Court not to crack down on file-sharing services. “Musicians are not universally united in opposition to peer-to-peer file sharing as the major records companies claim. To the contrary, many musicians find peer-to-peer technology . . . allows them easily to reach a worldwide online audience. And to many musicians, the benefits of this . . . strongly outweigh the risks of copyright infringement.”
Chicago Tenor Stabbed To Death
A veteran tenor with Chicago Lyric Opera has been found dead in his apartment. Detectives were investigating the apparent stabbing of Richard Markley, 45, who lived alone. His Lyric co-workers found his body about 11 a.m. Sunday, police said.