We at Radio Show Classics do not own the copyrights to any of the shows
available on this site. We believe that the copyrights have expired, or that the
shows are in the public domain because they were never copyrighted. We do
not sell the recordings or charge for access to our site. We are trying to bring
the exciting world of Radio Show Classics to a whole new generation of
listeners using the new technology of the Internet. Proceeds received are not
in any way a payment for the programs themselves, but are for the service of
delivery of these shows from our private collection. We are not trying to deprive
the original creators of any money due to them, and we will remove any
recording from our site that is shown to violate a copyright.

Below is some basic information on the copyrights for Old Time Radio Shows.
The information contained in this page is not meant to be legal advice. It is  
intended to give you an overview of the various copyright issues involved.

According to The Library of Congress, the status of old time radio recordings
made prior to 1978 are generally in the public domain, as sound recordings
were not allowed under the previous copyright law and such recordings have
not been granted copyright status under the new laws (since to change their
status and move them out of the Public Domain would be a violation of
Ex-Post-Facto). Once a piece is placed into the public domain for any reason,
it remains there legally unless someone brings a case to the Supreme Court to
decide otherwise.

The original recordings presented here are within the public domain, since they
were NOT qualified for copyright protection when presented, nor was any
attempt to place them under such copyright protection made when the window
of opportunity for such existed in 1978-1979 when the copyright law regarding
such recordings changed. (Such had to be submitted to the Congressional
Record for reinstatement at that time, and NO US Broadcasts from the 1929
through 1950 period was filed for at that time in the Congressional Record -
only a few foreign language audio recordings were so filed for in that period,
none of which are here in our Library Collection.

Many people feel that the old time radio trademarks are abandoned
since they were never enforced and are virtually worthless:
Any lawsuit for copyright infringement needs to be brought about by the real
parties in interest (the actual copyright holder or assignee), not somebody else
on their behalf. Without a federally registered copyright (which automatically
would carry a presumption of validity), the burden of proof is on the person
bringing the lawsuit to prove that they own a valid copyright for the work.
Registration Issues: Although failure to register a copyright does not affect its
validity, a copyright must be registered before an infringement action can be
filed under current federal copyright law. Registration must be made within
three months after publication or before the occurrence of an infringement in
order for statutory damages and attorney's fees to be available to the plaintiff.
Otherwise only actual damages may be awarded (17 USC §§ 411, 412).
Radio shows created before January 1, 1978 are protected by the Copyright
Act of 1909 rather than the Copyright Act of 1976
(http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#hlc) because according to case law
any copyright determinations must be made according the copyright law as it
existed before that date.

Assuming the old time radio shows were in the public domain from the
Copyright Act of 1909, the update of 1976 could not suddenly place them
under copyright because they were already in the public domain, and the
status of a public domain work is not allowed to ever be reversed.

All CDs/MP3s offered on this website are presumed to be public domain old
time radio shows. If anybody has written proof that any of the series offered are
not public domain, please email us and the series will promptly be removed
from the list. Radio Show Classics will not knowingly offer copyrighted material.
Copyright Information:
Radio Show Classics
www.radioshowclassics.com
"Preserving the Past for the Future"