查理·卓别林（Charlie Chaplin的无声影片、温斯顿·丘吉尔（Winston Churchill）的第一次世界大战（World War I）回忆录和上世纪20年代引发舞蹈狂热的歌曲“查尔斯顿”（The Charleston）等都属于1923年发行的数千种歌曲和文字作品之列。现在这些作品的版权已向公众开放。
从今年1月开始，学校教师、各戏剧团体和网络公司都可以在网上发布昔日的某些书籍，也可以将诞生了数十年的戏剧作品改编成以现代社会为背景的新作品。
文学艺术作品在一段时间后开放版权是美国版权法的核心。美国版权法一方面保护创造者为自己的作品寻求补偿的权利。另一方面也希望保存文化宝藏，供今后世世代代使用和欣赏这些作品。
根据美国宪法（U.S. Constitution），版权属知识产权的一种形式，目的在于保护诗歌、小说、歌曲、建筑、电脑软件等作品原作者的权益。其他知识产权的形式为专利 和商标，有助于保护各类发明和广告使用的标记和口号。
版权不涉及事实、思想和行为方式，但保护作者对这些观念的表达。
版权提供一段时期的专有权，然后给予开放使用，这两个主要方面都为创造者提供不同方式的鼓励。在版权有效期内，作者可以从自己的作品中获得报酬。
代表小说家、诗歌作者、历史学家和新闻记者权益的作家工会（Authors Guild）表示，有效的版权保护对专业作者具有关键意义，可以保证作者能够以写作为生。
然而，开放文学作品的版权可促进老歌和以往作品的供应，使这些作品通过再创造历久弥新。著名文学评论家诺思洛普·弗莱（Northrop Frye）曾说过，“诗歌只能从其他诗歌中诞生，小说也只能从其他小说中诞生。”
据杜克大学（Duke University）法学院（School of Law）公有领域研究中心（Center for the Study of the Public Domain）提供的消息，今年开放1923年的书籍、歌曲和影片的版权很快就极大地促进了人们从以往文学、戏剧和音乐作品中创造新的表达方式。各公共和私人图书馆已经在网上刊出数千部书籍的内容，各社区剧院正准备放映几乎被人们遗忘的影片。
作为经营大型数字图书馆的教育和研究伙伴HathiTrust的执行主任迈克·法罗（Mike Furlough）告诉 史密森尼杂志（Smithsonian Magazine），“我们无法预测人们会怎样使用已经开放的作品，但这的确是令人振奋的事件。”
本文由自由撰稿人David Reynolds撰写。
A Charlie Chaplin silent film, Winston Churchill’s account of World War I, and “The Charleston” — a song that started a 1920s dance craze — are among the thousands of songs and stories published in 1923 that are now released from copyright for all to enjoy.
Starting this past January, everyone from teachers and theater groups to internet companies could post certain old books online or adapt decades-old plays into new dramas in contemporary settings.
Free use of art and literature after a set period of time is a core tenet of U.S. copyright law, which seeks to balance the right of creators to seek compensation for their work with the preservation of cultural artifacts for future generations to use and enjoy.
Based in the U.S. Constitution, copyright is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of authorship including poems, novels, songs, architecture and even computer software. Other forms of intellectual property law include patents and trademarks that protect inventions, and the symbols or slogans used in advertising.
Copyright does not cover facts, ideas or methods of operation, but rather writers’ expressions of those concepts.
The two main aspects of copyright — a period of exclusive rights, followed by subsequent freedom of use — both provide incentives to creators in different ways. While a copyright is in effect, authors can reap payment for their work.
The Authors Guild, a union representing novelists, poets, historians and journalists, says, “Effective copyright protection is the linchpin of professional authorship; it enables authors to make a living writing.”
But releasing literature from copyright increases the availability of old songs and stories and allows their use in new creations. Prominent literary critic Northrop Frye has said, “Poetry can only be made out of other poems, novels out of other novels.”
This year’s release of books, songs, and films from 1923 has given a sudden boost to the process of creating new expression from old literature, drama and music, according to the Duke University School of Law’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain. Public and private libraries have already posted thousands of books online, and community theaters are planning screenings of forgotten films.
“We can’t predict what uses people are going to make of the work we make available,” Mike Furlough, executive director of the HathiTrust, an education and research partnership that runs a massive digital library, told Smithsonian Magazine. “And that’s what makes it so exciting.”
This article was written by freelance writer David Reynolds.
