Re: public domain?

["Raul Miller" <moth.debian@gmail.com>]

On 8/9/06, Francesco Poli <frx@firenze.linux.it> wrote:
> authors, but please note that some people have doubts about the legal
> possibility to dedicate a work to the public domain under the Berne
> Convention (that is to say, it's not even clear whether it's at all
> possible to release something to the public domain!).

I think the current wikipedia entry at

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain

better expresses the uncertainty around these kinds of issues:

  International treaties, like the Berne Convention, are not self-
  executing and do not supersede local law. There is no globally valid
  "International Copyright Law" that would take precedence over local
  laws. Instead, signatory countries of the Berne Convention have
  adapted their laws to comply with the minimum standards set forth
  by the treaty, often with stronger provisions than required.
  Whether or not something is copyright-free in some country depends
  on the laws of individual countries.

--
Raul