Originally Posted by dgmoby
Also unknown to most, is the useage of individual state laws in the copyright. This is copied from the US Copyright office, FAQ:
Copyright is a personal property right, and it is subject to
the various state laws and regulations that govern the ownership, inheritance, or transfer of personal property as well as terms of contracts or conduct of business. For information about relevant state laws, consult an attorney.
Therefore, it may be legal in one state, and not in another. Interesting...I wasn't aware of the state laws!
You have misread the statement. It refers to the property rights being transferred to another, such as an heir or someone who purchases all rights. It does not cover the sale of copies which is what the McCall's article discussed. Federal law requires the transfer of rights to be in writing and registered.
The 1986 Copyright Law preempted ALL state statutes and common law on copyrights. There is only federal copyright law, except for those areas not covered by federal statute, and these are very, very few (such as unpublished works). The copyright law in Maine is the same as the copyright law in Texas or Oregon.