Candice writes:
>
>
Funny thing is, I think Matthew's gone to London to have a
word with his publisher(!).
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>
No, I'm back. Actually I went before this issue arose so I didn't ask them
for permission to post the sonnet. (I did however ask for, and get,
permission to set up a W.S. Graham website, subject to the consent of the
copyright holders, so I'll keep you informed about that.)
I'd better come out from behind jk's coat-tails and say that I am myself
reluctant to post the sonnet. In an ideal world writers would make a living
without copyright and everyone would cannibalize everyone else's work, which
I think would be more conducive to creativity. But as it is, we need it. I
don't know exactly what the legal definition of fair use is, but in a public
forum like this it seems an infringement of Muldoon's rights to quote the
whole of one of his works. I know I would be annoyed if someone did this to
one of my poems without my permission.
On the other hand, I agree that the issue sometimes gets taken too far the
other way. Today I gave a lecture on contemporary poetry and was not allowed
to give out photocopies of the poems to my students. I can't see why this
should apply in a limited group for educational purposes.
Best wishes
Matthew
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