http://tags.library.upenn.edu/tag/archivists+society PennTags Feed http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/36131 http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/36131 <p>This letter written on behalf of the Society of American Archivists expresses one group&rsquo;s opposition to the CTEA and the need to oppose such a passing of an act. They argue that the law disrupts the balance between public and private interests and will have a negative impact on the public&rsquo;s use of unpublished materials for teaching, scholarship and research. The point of the Society is to make things available to the public and they believe that such an extension will inhibit their ability to make things available and useable to the public. Maher on behalf of the society argues that there should be a vigorous public domain and protections for the rights of holders of intellectual property as well. They believe that too short of a copyright may discourage new works but too long of a period may limit the creation of new discoveries and Congress must maintain a balance between the interests of authors and the rights of the public. Maher argues that, &ldquo;no extension of copyright term should be contemplated until there are available solid analysis of the likely impact of such an extension on the creation of new knowledge&rdquo;. He goes on to say that the Society is troubles by the effect the extension may have on the use of unpublished material that is found in archives and that courts have continues to restrict the application of fair use, which applies, to archives. The final argument Maher makes is that the Society believes that only a few individuals of heirs and corporations would benefit from the extension of such an extension. <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This letter is important because it takes the perspective of an organization that finds the passing of the CTEA to be unbeneficial and detrimental to their work. It is important to my paper because it takes a different perspective, a more personal perspective in a sense. The argument they make is not just for the public domain but also rather for the balance which is something that has not been argued for in other articles.</p>