Copyright Law Blog

Copyright in Simple Way

August 1st, 2009 at 06:41pm Under intellectual property

Copyright is a legal concept. It is enacted by governments. It gives the creator of an original work of authorship exclusive rights to it. It is usually given for a limited time. After the expiry of this time the work enters in public domain. Generally, it is “right to copy”, but usually provides the author other rights as well, such as the rights to be credited to the work, which may financially benefit from it, and other related rights. It is intellectual property from like the patent, the trademark, and the trade secret applicable to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discrete.

        Copyright was initially conceived as a way for governments in Europe to restrict printing. The contemporary intent of copyrights is to promote the creation of new work by giving author control of and profit from them.

Copyright has been internationally standardized, lasting between fifty to hundred years from the author’s death, or a finite period for anonymous or corporate authorship. Some countries have required formalities to establishing copyright; most recognize copyright in any completed work, without formal registration. Generally copyright is enforced a civil matter.

Exclusive rights

Several exclusive rights typically attach to the holder of a copyright:

Ø      To produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies.

Ø      To import or export the work.

Ø      To crate derivative works

Ø      To perform or display the work publicly (performance rights)

Ø      To sell or assign these rights to others.

Ø      To transmit or display by radio or video (broadcasting rights)

The phrase “Exclusive rights” means that only the copyright holder is free to exercise those rights and others are preheated from using the work without the holder’s permission. Copyright is sometimes called “Native rights”, as it serves to prohibit certain people e.g. readers, viewers, or listeners and primarily publishers and would be publishers from doing something they would otherwise be able to do, rather than permitting people to do something they would otherwise be unable to do.

website:www.justbol.com

Trademarks And Copyrights And His Orchestra

July 30th, 2009 at 06:40am Under copyright protection

Definition of Trademarks: Certain words, phrases, names, designs or logos used on the Site constitute trade marks, service marks or trade names of TopShopping or other entities as indicated. The display of any such marks or names on the Site does not imply that a license has been granted by TopShopping or such other entities.

Definition of Copyright: The copyright for any creative concepts and copy developed by Sustainable Media shall be automatically transferred to the client upon full payment of services. Sustainable Media reserves the right to use examples of the completed work for the purpose of future publications on copywriting, educational purposes and then marketing Sustainable Media’s business. Where applicable, the client will be given any necessary credit for usage of the project elements.

So you’ve put all this work into your business: you’ve got a name, you’ve made some marketing materials, even written some things for your customers. If you don’t want your competitors to be able to take what you’ve done and exploit it, though, you’re going to need to take some steps to protect yourself.

Your name is one of the most important assets your business has — it’s how your customers identify you. Knowing your name is the first step to trusting you and recommending you to others. But what can you do if you’re afraid that someone else might start using your name, or simply start another company with a similar enough name to confuse people?

You can trademark both your business’ name as well as the names of any products you sell. The only condition is that they can’t be too similar to names that someone has already trademarked, and you can’t usually trademark words that are in common use.

Copyrights are similar to trademarks in terms of the kind of protection they offer, but different in how they work. In almost all countries, ownership of copyright is automatic, and costs nothing. The moment you write (or draw, or record) something, you own the copyright on it, and can take action against anyone who makes a copy of it without your permission. This article you’re reading right now, for example, has the automatic copyright. If you decided to copy it without permission and put it on your own website, then that would be illegal. Not that you would do such a thing, of course.

A copyright lasts longer than a trademark: typically it lasts until you die, and then a set number of years after that, depending on your country and the kind of thing that was copyrighted. After the end of this time, the work becomes ‘public domain’, free for anyone to use.

Of course, copyright is a right, not something that you absolutely must go along with. If you want to give people permission to freely use and redistribute something you’ve made, then you have the legal right to do this. You can even give up your copyright on a piece of work altogether, simply by writing on it that you no longer want to own the copyright.

“In the business world an executive knows something about everything, a technician knows everything about something and the switchboard operator knows everything.”
Harold Coffin.

How to Profit From Intellectual Assets you May not Know you Have

July 20th, 2009 at 12:42am Under intellectual property

If you’d like to capitalize on your business’ intellectual assets, there’s an old proverb that will fill the bill, if you’ll learn how it applies today: “Finders, keepers; Losers, weepers.” The Playground goes entrepreneurial!

Our biggest corporations have always hovered over their copyrights, their trademarks and their licensing agreements, protecting them through legal means. This can be just as profitable for companies that aren’t that big if you’ll look carefully at your processes and then learn how to promote and protect them like the big boys.

The management of intellectual assets (your companies ‘property’) isn’t only about how many new products you can bring to the market; it’s about new ideas and innovations that improve on existing goods and services. It’s all a matter of “finders, keepers,” which can be just as easy for the smallest firms to play as it is for the largest.

For all the years you’ve been in business, has there been some product or process that’s been improved on for the traditional marketing of your goods? Did your office assistant come up with a new “Eureka!” for keeping track of your client’s habits or abilities? Did you add two new steps to a production process that created more cost-efficiencies?

Look deeper. Is the way your service or product brand worth protecting? Can it become a profit generator by co-branding with another company? Inc. magazine in its May editions cited the case of Starbucks licensing its name to Jim Beam for a new liqueur, and Harley-Davidson partnering with Coca-Cola to reap millions of dollars in royalties from products incorporating both names.

Is what you know innovative (different) and would it be valuable to someone else? If your answer is yes, learn how to protect and profit from these assets or risk joining the ranks of “losers, weepers.”

Four additional tips to keep in mind:

1. Industry reports cite the growing number of Intellectual Property (IP) lawyers courting small firms instead of traditional big business clients. Go to Google.com and type in “IP lawyers” along with your state or city’s name. Some IP law firm Web sites carry free articles on IP trends.

2. Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) are mandatory when you’re developing some new product or process and you’re seeking help from outside your company. You’ll protect your asset from the beginning. One smart article on how NDAs work is at About.com, a product of the New York Times Co., at http://management.about.com/cs/ipandpatents/a/NDA062199.htm?p=1.

3. Don’t let your assets loose, even inadvertently, through outgoing emails. Sandhills Publishing Company’s www.processing.com shares safeguards for your outgoing email procedures at www.processor.com/mirapoint-Inc.

4. Consider an outside sleuth to help you find your hidden intellectual assets. Have you ever enlisted the help of a friend to help you find a misplaced item? Invariably, you’ll hear, “Well, there it is, right in front of your nose.” Outside consultants with keen expertise and sharp insights into how to spot potential intellectual assets can prove exponentially more valuable to your bottom line than that sharp-eyed friend.

Copyright Attorneys

July 18th, 2009 at 06:43am Under copyright law

The details of copyright law can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they all offer the same basic protection: creators of substantive works have a right to restrict publication, performance, and use of their works by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The types of materials that commonly receive copyrights are artistic in nature, such as books, stories, songs, and artwork.

Copyright Length for the Author

Authors typically own the copyrights to their work for the duration of their lives. After an author’s death, the family or an individual can often retain exclusive rights to publications and songs for between 50 and 100 years, depending on the type of work and the jurisdiction. Corporate authors typically enjoy a shorter period of exclusive rights, after which time the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain, during which time it can be published, performed, or otherwise used by anyone without paying royalties.

Copyright Lawyers

Since there are many fine nuances to copyright law, it behooves most people and organizations to hire reliable lawyers who have considerable experience. Individuals and organizations should even consider that while one lawyer might have significant experience with, for instance, copyrights pertaining to music, he or she might not be the best candidate for a job that requires an expertise of copyrights regarding printed materials like books. It is often best to find a lawyer or law firm that focuses on specific subjects to help ensure that they know all of the details of the law.

Finding Copyright Attorneys

Finding a copyright attorney is fairly easily. All you have to do is consult a directory or perform an online search to find the names and contact information of hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The large number of available copyright attorneys, though, can actually make it harder for some people to determine which one is right for them. With so many options, how do you decide which attorney is the right one?

One of the most useful ways to help you determine which copyright attorney you should hire is to make a list of several firms and agencies so you can contact them and get relevant information about their practices.

Copyright Attorneys with Experience

One of the most important things to look for in a copyright lawyer is experience. That means having several successful years of practice as well as a good education from a reliable institution. Luckily, attorneys are required to register with the Bar Association. You can therefore expect a reasonable amount of usefulness from any lawyer that is currently in good standing with that regulatory institution. Still, you should ask the copyright lawyers that you contact to give you references so you can talk to their other clients. This is a good way to get unbiased reports about the lawyer’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reliability.

Affordable Copyright Attorneys

Of course, you also need to make sure that the copyright attorneys are affordable for you. You can do this by requesting written price quotes. You might find that some of them charge too much for your budget. Remove them from your list to help you decide which affordable copyright lawyer is best for you.

Learn more about Copyright law and Copyright registration at Aplegal.com.

Copyright Attorneys

July 18th, 2009 at 06:43am Under copyright law

The details of copyright law can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they all offer the same basic protection: creators of substantive works have a right to restrict publication, performance, and use of their works by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The types of materials that commonly receive copyrights are artistic in nature, such as books, stories, songs, and artwork.

Copyright Length for the Author

Authors typically own the copyrights to their work for the duration of their lives. After an author’s death, the family or an individual can often retain exclusive rights to publications and songs for between 50 and 100 years, depending on the type of work and the jurisdiction. Corporate authors typically enjoy a shorter period of exclusive rights, after which time the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain, during which time it can be published, performed, or otherwise used by anyone without paying royalties.

Copyright Lawyers

Since there are many fine nuances to copyright law, it behooves most people and organizations to hire reliable lawyers who have considerable experience. Individuals and organizations should even consider that while one lawyer might have significant experience with, for instance, copyrights pertaining to music, he or she might not be the best candidate for a job that requires an expertise of copyrights regarding printed materials like books. It is often best to find a lawyer or law firm that focuses on specific subjects to help ensure that they know all of the details of the law.

Finding Copyright Attorneys

Finding a copyright attorney is fairly easily. All you have to do is consult a directory or perform an online search to find the names and contact information of hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The large number of available copyright attorneys, though, can actually make it harder for some people to determine which one is right for them. With so many options, how do you decide which attorney is the right one?

One of the most useful ways to help you determine which copyright attorney you should hire is to make a list of several firms and agencies so you can contact them and get relevant information about their practices.

Copyright Attorneys with Experience

One of the most important things to look for in a copyright lawyer is experience. That means having several successful years of practice as well as a good education from a reliable institution. Luckily, attorneys are required to register with the Bar Association. You can therefore expect a reasonable amount of usefulness from any lawyer that is currently in good standing with that regulatory institution. Still, you should ask the copyright lawyers that you contact to give you references so you can talk to their other clients. This is a good way to get unbiased reports about the lawyer’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reliability.

Affordable Copyright Attorneys

Of course, you also need to make sure that the copyright attorneys are affordable for you. You can do this by requesting written price quotes. You might find that some of them charge too much for your budget. Remove them from your list to help you decide which affordable copyright lawyer is best for you.

Learn more about Copyright law and Copyright registration at Aplegal.com.

Copyright Attorneys

July 18th, 2009 at 06:43am Under copyright law

The details of copyright law can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they all offer the same basic protection: creators of substantive works have a right to restrict publication, performance, and use of their works by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The types of materials that commonly receive copyrights are artistic in nature, such as books, stories, songs, and artwork.

Copyright Length for the Author

Authors typically own the copyrights to their work for the duration of their lives. After an author’s death, the family or an individual can often retain exclusive rights to publications and songs for between 50 and 100 years, depending on the type of work and the jurisdiction. Corporate authors typically enjoy a shorter period of exclusive rights, after which time the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain, during which time it can be published, performed, or otherwise used by anyone without paying royalties.

Copyright Lawyers

Since there are many fine nuances to copyright law, it behooves most people and organizations to hire reliable lawyers who have considerable experience. Individuals and organizations should even consider that while one lawyer might have significant experience with, for instance, copyrights pertaining to music, he or she might not be the best candidate for a job that requires an expertise of copyrights regarding printed materials like books. It is often best to find a lawyer or law firm that focuses on specific subjects to help ensure that they know all of the details of the law.

Finding Copyright Attorneys

Finding a copyright attorney is fairly easily. All you have to do is consult a directory or perform an online search to find the names and contact information of hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The large number of available copyright attorneys, though, can actually make it harder for some people to determine which one is right for them. With so many options, how do you decide which attorney is the right one?

One of the most useful ways to help you determine which copyright attorney you should hire is to make a list of several firms and agencies so you can contact them and get relevant information about their practices.

Copyright Attorneys with Experience

One of the most important things to look for in a copyright lawyer is experience. That means having several successful years of practice as well as a good education from a reliable institution. Luckily, attorneys are required to register with the Bar Association. You can therefore expect a reasonable amount of usefulness from any lawyer that is currently in good standing with that regulatory institution. Still, you should ask the copyright lawyers that you contact to give you references so you can talk to their other clients. This is a good way to get unbiased reports about the lawyer’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reliability.

Affordable Copyright Attorneys

Of course, you also need to make sure that the copyright attorneys are affordable for you. You can do this by requesting written price quotes. You might find that some of them charge too much for your budget. Remove them from your list to help you decide which affordable copyright lawyer is best for you.

Learn more about Copyright law and Copyright registration at Aplegal.com.

Copyright Attorneys

July 18th, 2009 at 06:43am Under copyright law

The details of copyright law can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they all offer the same basic protection: creators of substantive works have a right to restrict publication, performance, and use of their works by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The types of materials that commonly receive copyrights are artistic in nature, such as books, stories, songs, and artwork.

Copyright Length for the Author

Authors typically own the copyrights to their work for the duration of their lives. After an author’s death, the family or an individual can often retain exclusive rights to publications and songs for between 50 and 100 years, depending on the type of work and the jurisdiction. Corporate authors typically enjoy a shorter period of exclusive rights, after which time the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain, during which time it can be published, performed, or otherwise used by anyone without paying royalties.

Copyright Lawyers

Since there are many fine nuances to copyright law, it behooves most people and organizations to hire reliable lawyers who have considerable experience. Individuals and organizations should even consider that while one lawyer might have significant experience with, for instance, copyrights pertaining to music, he or she might not be the best candidate for a job that requires an expertise of copyrights regarding printed materials like books. It is often best to find a lawyer or law firm that focuses on specific subjects to help ensure that they know all of the details of the law.

Finding Copyright Attorneys

Finding a copyright attorney is fairly easily. All you have to do is consult a directory or perform an online search to find the names and contact information of hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The large number of available copyright attorneys, though, can actually make it harder for some people to determine which one is right for them. With so many options, how do you decide which attorney is the right one?

One of the most useful ways to help you determine which copyright attorney you should hire is to make a list of several firms and agencies so you can contact them and get relevant information about their practices.

Copyright Attorneys with Experience

One of the most important things to look for in a copyright lawyer is experience. That means having several successful years of practice as well as a good education from a reliable institution. Luckily, attorneys are required to register with the Bar Association. You can therefore expect a reasonable amount of usefulness from any lawyer that is currently in good standing with that regulatory institution. Still, you should ask the copyright lawyers that you contact to give you references so you can talk to their other clients. This is a good way to get unbiased reports about the lawyer’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reliability.

Affordable Copyright Attorneys

Of course, you also need to make sure that the copyright attorneys are affordable for you. You can do this by requesting written price quotes. You might find that some of them charge too much for your budget. Remove them from your list to help you decide which affordable copyright lawyer is best for you.

Learn more about Copyright law and Copyright registration at Aplegal.com.

Copyright Attorneys

July 18th, 2009 at 06:43am Under copyright law

The details of copyright law can differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they all offer the same basic protection: creators of substantive works have a right to restrict publication, performance, and use of their works by unauthorized individuals and organizations. The types of materials that commonly receive copyrights are artistic in nature, such as books, stories, songs, and artwork.

Copyright Length for the Author

Authors typically own the copyrights to their work for the duration of their lives. After an author’s death, the family or an individual can often retain exclusive rights to publications and songs for between 50 and 100 years, depending on the type of work and the jurisdiction. Corporate authors typically enjoy a shorter period of exclusive rights, after which time the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain, during which time it can be published, performed, or otherwise used by anyone without paying royalties.

Copyright Lawyers

Since there are many fine nuances to copyright law, it behooves most people and organizations to hire reliable lawyers who have considerable experience. Individuals and organizations should even consider that while one lawyer might have significant experience with, for instance, copyrights pertaining to music, he or she might not be the best candidate for a job that requires an expertise of copyrights regarding printed materials like books. It is often best to find a lawyer or law firm that focuses on specific subjects to help ensure that they know all of the details of the law.

Finding Copyright Attorneys

Finding a copyright attorney is fairly easily. All you have to do is consult a directory or perform an online search to find the names and contact information of hundreds, if not thousands, of them. The large number of available copyright attorneys, though, can actually make it harder for some people to determine which one is right for them. With so many options, how do you decide which attorney is the right one?

One of the most useful ways to help you determine which copyright attorney you should hire is to make a list of several firms and agencies so you can contact them and get relevant information about their practices.

Copyright Attorneys with Experience

One of the most important things to look for in a copyright lawyer is experience. That means having several successful years of practice as well as a good education from a reliable institution. Luckily, attorneys are required to register with the Bar Association. You can therefore expect a reasonable amount of usefulness from any lawyer that is currently in good standing with that regulatory institution. Still, you should ask the copyright lawyers that you contact to give you references so you can talk to their other clients. This is a good way to get unbiased reports about the lawyer’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reliability.

Affordable Copyright Attorneys

Of course, you also need to make sure that the copyright attorneys are affordable for you. You can do this by requesting written price quotes. You might find that some of them charge too much for your budget. Remove them from your list to help you decide which affordable copyright lawyer is best for you.

Learn more about Copyright law and Copyright registration at Aplegal.com.

A Software Registered In Germany Under Copyrights Act Is Good For India As Well ?

July 16th, 2009 at 04:27pm Under copyright act

Dear All,
I wish to know, If as software registerd in Germany under copy rights act holds good for Inida as well. Or we need to register the same in India as well ?
Thanks
Alok

On Copyrights, the Creative Experience and Graphic Designers

July 15th, 2009 at 12:41pm Under copyright law

There he is – the young art student – in the corner, sporting a slouch, worn blue jeans and a faded ironic t-shirt, standing in front of the canvases he submitted for this month’s class show; large, blue, sci-fi landscapes, which, from a distance, are beautiful. They look like heavenly, undulating space-scapes of sky and stars.

But move five steps closer, and the illusion fades. He is in the corner, yes, but the slouch is affected — he’d be more comfortable standing straight. His worn blue jeans? Brand new, but distressed. His ironic t-shirt? That once most noble badge of indie creed? It’s been on sale at the Urban Outfitters down the street for a month. And the paintings – the paintings! Up-close, they show themselves as crude copies of those prints featured in the discounted Salvador Dali calendars sold at Barnes and Noble: forced line, muddy colors, uninteresting ideas.

What’s offensive is not the young student’s pose, for at least he is trying to do something with his image. And the paintings, while bad, are not so bad that his art school scholarship would be threatened. No, what’s most worrisome is that he doesn’t know he’s posing, doesn’t know that the elements he’s so carefully cultivated as “his own,” are not. He’s exuding “originality” in the most culturally acceptable way, possibly the only way he knows: he buys it.

Those shelves of products that our young hero peruses in his off-time– all copyrighted, patented, or otherwise “pre-approved” for consumption – give him the feeling that he has freedom of choice, while, in fact, his freedoms are limited. “Have a problem? Use this face cream. Buy a car. Wear these blue jeans.”

These are his only options. We should feel pity for him – after all, he’s lived in Pasadena his whole life, he doesn’t know. This is what he thinks is edgy. Because he has taste, he makes do with what he has. But because he is young, he is a bit too proud. More seasoned personalities whisper to each other: His shirt, the off-white one? With the cartoon of a red-bearded lad, holding close his seven bottles of bear, stating, “Irish 7-Course Meal?” Done. His blue jeans? 700 dollars, faded in all the right places, do not connote the roughshod life. Oh no, they scream, “Mom buys my clothes!” And the Art. Oh God, the Art.

What can save our young hero, apart from extended sit-down sessions with Roland Barthes or concentrated perusals of Frederick Jamison (both of which are, for the most part, impossible to comprehend at such an age)? What can pull away the cowl of ignorance, freeing the young artist from that most hated of appropriations – derivative? Ready? Here comes the answer – and it’s not drugs, religious experiences, or world travel. The answer is that he must study and learn the copyright laws of United States.

And in order to learn the copyright laws of the United States, he must first know what a copyright is. Here are the simple definitions, according to onelook.com:

# noun: a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work

# verb: secure a copyright on a written work

Why is a knowledge of the legal precedence of copyright important to a young artist? Because in order to create, a good artist should know as much as possible about his tools. This means not just the origins of his fine bristle brush, or the interesting history of the chemistry of his pigments, but to examine the social and political tools that will allow him to function as an artist in the United States in 2007.

Thus, while copyright law is not as glamourous as brushes or paint, it is nonetheless as important. For within copyright law lies the secret of what to do after. And what do American’s do after they’re done? They sell. They horde. And, in turn, they covet, they hide… While squirreling away money is a good idea, hiding creative output is not. Keeping the creative hidden leads to problems such as our hero’s – too much confidence in too much little. Our hero’s problems stem from this ignorance – for, despite his fancy education, he is creatively ignorant – too many things have been kept from his eyes.

But wait! you say. Surely it is his responsibility to educate himself! There are libraries, public exhibitions, and teachers.

Of course, these are necessary elements in any person’s education. But our hero cannot personally own a library book, an outdoor concerts, or the mind of a great teacher, and the relative unavailability of ownership of fine works of art encourages a lazy attitude towards authenticity. Within copyright law, too, lies a history of the role of the Artist within American Society, a role our hero has wanted to play, desperately, for many years. Is it not also his responsibility to know his legal rights? Sadly, our hero does not know about the Berne Convention, held in Switzerland, in 1886. Led by that most diligent, most empathetic of writers, Victor Hugo. He does not know of Hugo’s obsession with la droit d’auteur. He does not know most of his European and Asian contemporaries not only consider intellectual property more important than money, but that the status of the artist is more socially powerful than that of entrepreneur. He does not know that Europe and Asia have historically made political concessions to facilitate their artists’ creativity. Or that the United States didn’t join the Berne Convention until nearly one hundred years after its inception – on March 1, 1989.

Here is something else he doesn’t know: copyright laws in the United States, had, until 1989, been focused on keeping intellectual property private in order to facilitate economic growth. In other words, in the US, copyright law has historically been a monetary issue, not a creative one…Thus the shelves of products posing as freedom as choice.

And here is something else: thanks to the acceptance of the Berne Convention, which decrees that work belongs to its creator as soon as it’s created, without having to fill out government forms, the tide is turning.

And finally, another fact: the most notable example of progressive copyright translation in the United States is the group called Creative Commons. Creative Commons gives artists the information and encouragement needed to not squirrel their work away, in fear that someone might steal their ideas, but rather, to share and remix their work with the work of others.

And now, for a theoretical leap: This is a necessary step on the incline from being derivative to being truly POSTMODERN. (Ugh, but why postmodern? Isn’t that old hat? AU CONTRAIRE).

The hallmark of postmodernism is the desire to combine. And we are at a point in cultural history where the only thing left to do is combine. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Marcel Proust, that most beloved of all neurotic writers, stated as a child that he did could not name a single color as his favorite, but rather, he found the most pleasure in their combinations. And all postmodern art is a hybrid – a little of this, a little of that – which in turn encourages the creation of the global ego – an ego much less offensive than the ego present in our young hero at the start of this article.

Some say the start of the Enlightenment was thanks to the creation of factory-produced mirrors, which allowed even the most plebeian life form to see themselves as individuals. But today, we don’t look to the mirror for accurate reflections. Instead, we gaze into the computer monitor. Our thoughts, words, and images, regardless of original source, create a collective brain, one that can be harnessed most powerfully through an artist’s understanding of copyright. And even science is beginning to consider human beings in a similar way – the millions of individuals that populate the Earth are really a single, throbbing organism, a human membrane, if you will, that covers our planet, hovering, blue and bulbous, like a helium balloon bobbing about in the milky way.

Which takes us back to our hero’s work. Remember? Those great blue swathes of sky and stars that looked so good from a distance? Does he know about Turner? And if he did, would not his unpleasant ego dissolve, leaving him – his ideas and his work – behind to do the talking. And would not his art – our art – be improved?