Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Blog, Internet resources, online reading groups, articles and interviews, Illuminatus! info.

Monday, October 24, 2011

A few words on copyright

Some weeks ago, a reader who follows the blog wrote to me and asked if I have permission from Robert Anton Wilson's estate to post the articles that I place here.

I haven't had any contact with RAW's daughter, although I've tried to email her. So I can't guess what she might think of this blog.

However, almost all of the articles that I post on this site, and the interviews (other than the material I create myself) are obscure  pieces that have sat, forgotten, in obscure journals for many years. In some cases, I have the permission of the original publisher to reprint the piece. In other cases, I would not know who to ask. In all cases, I believe I am helping the estate by bringing to light material that could be published in a later book.

I don't believe in publishing material that's available from a RAW book that's in print. I don't link to sites that circulate pirate electronic editions of books that are in print. I support RAW's children by buying new editions of books that are in print (I've bought several books in the last couple of years) and I urge everyone else to do the same.

If you can't afford to buy RAW's books, or as many as you would like, there are still ways to support his writing and his place in the literary canon. I will talk about that tomorrow.

2 comments:

BrentQ said...

I think this blog is great because of all the rare, hard to find articles. After buying and reading most of RAW's books it's great to be able to come check in here and find some gem I haven't read before..And it good's to know there are other fans out there still thinking about RAW and his ideas on a regular basis. I think slowly but surely people will catch on to his genius and he will eventually get the mainstream respect he deserves. Just as scientific revolutions take a generation to be accepted, so too will RAWs ideas and literature!

/end rant

michael said...

Here! Here!, Satori Guy.

What can I say here, except that I'm with Tom 100%, being involved in roughly the same RAW sphere: I'm an ultra-ardent admirer of the man's work, and even a sort of proselyte (but with humor?).

The whole copyright (most interesting thinker on that scene = Lawrence Lessig?) deal fascinates me on a few levels, though. Individual creativity and the society that natured it, how value materializes, etc.

RAW's estate has been uncommunicative with me, too. Would Christina ever even know RAW wrote for a little mag called No Governor?

Wagner, Gathers, Clore and a few others have resurrected and injected fairly obscure-but-intellectually-lively RAW articles back to the noosphere.

/end rant