IMSLP update

The IMSLP, the orchestral equivalent of CPDL, will be re-opening on July 1. They've assembled a team of volunteers to look at every score to check for composer date, lyricist dates, and company logos, and expect to have a site ready with worldwide public-domain scores by July.

IMSLP closed down under pressure from European publisher Universal Edition; since European copyright have a longer duration than Canadian ones (where IMSLP is located), works in the public domain in Canada can still be under copyright in Europe. It's unclear how such a lawsuit would have been filed, and what court would have jurisdiction, but nonetheless the IMSLP closed up shop. More background information here.

I've written repeatedly about the ridiculousness of having such long copyright terms (up to 80 years after the composer's death in some countries). There is absolutely no benefit to society at large (or to composers in general) in having such long terms — only a few big corporations benefit.