Can you really blame Rory ? - What you would have done ?
If you were dying to get your book published, would you do what he did ?
Just curious.
No. I would not.
There are things you just don't do, regardless of how much you want to be someone.
Even if that means that this book will certainly never get published? As a writer, would you deny the world a wonderful work of literature?
shareThe right thing to do of course, would be to get it published, but not claim myself as the author.
If that is possible. I would be free to use whatever publicity I got, to further my own career!
IRL, I almost hate to say it, but I think there may be a lot less gnashing of the teeth and self-guilt, than we see displayed in the film. There was no crime. There was no breaching of copyright. Dora buys an old briefcase that happens to have a non-copyrighted manuscript (likely separated from its owner for many, many years) in it. I think legally Dora and Rory would now own it and (perhaps sad to say) Rory could probably publish it as his own work. It'd be interesting getting a professional legal opinion on it.🐭
shareI'm not a lawyer and what I'm about to post is not professional legal advice, but it is what I know from being someone who has created works of various kinds and looked into what my copyright "'rights" are in various situations.
Copyright exists the moment the author or creator of something creates their work in a tangible form, technically.
You don't have to register it for that to be recognize by law, it's just that you will have an easier time pushing it through a legal challenge if it is formally registered somewhere.
But technically this manuscript WAS copyright to the author and Rory was morally wrong to use it and claim it as his own.
If it had come to a court of law and the Old Man could prove that it was his manuscript even without ever having registered it formally, then actually Rory would be found to have violated copyright law.
There WAS breaching of copyright.
Just because you "find" something does not actually make it your creation to claim, and even the courts would agree if the actual creator can reasonably prove he was the creator.
I don't see how claiming someone else's work, and getting rich and famous off it, is NOT a crime.
share