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https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/28/celebrate-tom-lehrer-for-his-music-but-also-for-donating-all-his-works-to-the-public-domain/>
"Tom Lehrer’s passing this weekend at age 97 has rightfully sparked tributes to
his brilliant satirical songs. But amid all the well-deserved praise for “The
Elements” and “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” there’s another aspect of
Lehrer’s legacy that deserves equal celebration: his decision to dump his
entire catalog into the public domain.
In an era when artists’ estates routinely extend copyright protections as long
as legally possible, Lehrer’s approach was not just generous—it was
revolutionary. In an age where copyright terms are discussed in notation known
as “life plus…” Lehrer agreed to free up everything while he was still around
to see what people would do with it."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
