Re: Who owns copyright on old computer mags?

[blackm00@cam.org (Michael Black)]

In article <38890BBE.C539B457@mb.imag.net>, wpg750@mb.imag.net wrote:

> Actually, I believe you are mistaken. Elementary Electronics *did* morph into
> Creative Computing. My dad used to subscribe to EE (he was interested in
> refurbishing vintage radio receivers and they had a column called "Antique
> Radio Corner". Another favorite was "Kathi's CB Carousal"). For awhile, it
> was renamed Elementary Electronics-Including Creative Computing, and then
> eventually became just Creative Computing. My dad let his subscription run
> out after that, as he wasn't interested in a 100% computer magazine.
> 
Actually, I'm not mistaken. Creative Computing and Elementary Electronics
were two completely different magazines.

I've already said that Creative Computing started in 1974.  I have in
front of me EE for Jan-Feb 1975, and also the Jan-Feb 1976.  How could it
eveolve into a magazine that was already being published?

The May-June of 1981 issue, which happens to be the latest issue I have,
is actually titled "Sicence & Electronics" but it's nevertheless Elementary
Electronics with basically the same people on the masthead, and the
same features.  It does say on the cover "including Computers & Programming"
and there is a fairly large computer section inside.  I can't remember
if "Computers & Programming" was once a standalone magazine, spun off
from Elementary Electronics and then folded back into the magazine.  The
"science" in the title seems false, at least in this issue, because
the section of the index entitled "science" has three articles listed,
all electronic related.

The little blurb in fine print on the index page says "Science &
Electronics/Computers & Programming including Elementary Electronics".

On page 49, there is a full page ad for Creative Computing.

So either you remember EE when it changed into a computer magazine,
and I don't remember it becoming as much a computer magazine as Popular
Electronics did when it changed it's name to Computers and Electronics (or
something like that), though I admit I asn't paying much attention
to the magazine at that point, though I did start reading EE at the
beginning of 1971.

Or when the smaller magazines were being bought up shortly after that
1981 issue, Ziff-Davis which did eventually buy up Creative Computing
and a lot of other magazines, might have also bought up "Science & Electronics"
and then shut it down, as it did to quite a few magazines in that period.
Subscribers might have then ended up with Creative Computing, which was
probably in better shape than some of the magazines.  That's hardly morphing,
it is just giving you one magazine instead of the one you originally
subscribed to.

And of course, Creative Computing didn't last all that long after being
bought up by ZIff-Davis.

Eventually, "Hands-On Electronics" started up towards the end of the eighties.
A number of the people connected with that magazine were connected
with Elementary Electronics.

And of course, with time, "Hands-On" was bought by Gernsback, or was
Gernsback the publisher from the beginning?  And then, "Hands-On" was
renamed "Popular ELectronics" because Gernsback had somehow got the rights
to the name.

And then at the end of 1999, Popular Electronics died fro the second time.
It was combined with Electronics Now (which used to be Radio Electronics)
and the combined magazine is titled Poptronics.

    Michael

> Michael Black wrote:
> 
> > In article <38791674.6F9EC400@mb.imag.net>, wpg750@mb.imag.net wrote:
> >
> > > Somewhere in each magazine, usually the contents page, there is usually
> > > a legal paragraph which contains the info you're looking for. You will
> > > find names like Hurst, Ziff-Davis, Gernsbeck, Time-Warner, etc. I
> > > suggest you go to the library and look through a periodical index, or
> > > the actual magazines themselves, if your library has them.
> > >
> > > BTW. Creative Computing was known as Elementary Electronics in the
> > > 1960-70s. In those days, they covered a lot of basic electronics and
> > > radio/audio material.
> > >
> > Creative Computing was the creation of David Ahl, in 1974.  He had worked
> > for the Digital Equipment Corporation, and had worked at introducing BASIC
> > into schools, and had some scheme for a personal mini-computer.  I gather
> > Creative was an extension of that, and so the magazine was around when
> > small computers hit the scene.  As far as I know, it was an independent
> > magazine, though eventually it was bought up by one of the big magazine
> > publishers, Ziff-Davis, in the early eighties when there was a computer
> > magaizine boom, and a lot of independent magazines were being bought up.
> > I have the tenth anniversary issue, which was a retrospective and still
> > a nice reference, dated November 1984.  If that wasn't the last issue,
> > it didn't last much longer.
> >
> > Elementary Electronics was a completely different magazine.  I'm not sure
> > when it started, but I think it morphed from some other magazine, maybe
> > Radio-TV Electronics, both of which were published by Science & Mechanics
> > Publishing.  It morphed once, or more likely twice, before fading out,
> > probably about the time Creative Computing died off.  Science & Electronics
> > is one name that comes to mind, though it might be a false remembrance.
> > And I think it became something with "Computer" in the title. Unlike
> > Popular Electronics, that changed it's name and tried to become a
> > computer magazine, and non-technical at that, I don't remember a lot
> > of change in Elementary Electronics as it changed name, though of
> > course computers were added, just like every electronic magazine
> > added computer coverage back then.
> >
> >       Michael
> >
> > > Mr. Boffo wrote:
> > >
> > > > (Reposting.... sorry.. my clock was screwed up and messed up
> > > > the message threading in the newsreader. Here it is again.)
> > > >
> > > > One of the recent developments in this age of cheap storage
> > > > is the arrival of the CD-ROM magazine archive. Some comics
> > > > and some magazines (like MAD Magazine) are making available
> > > > on CD-ROM the pages from all their old magazines.
> > > >
> > > > It occurs to me that there may be a market for the old
> > > > computer magazines from the 80's which have now died out..
> > > > Nibble, Family Computing, A+, Compute!, SofTalk, Creative
> > > > Computing, InCider...
> > > >
> > > > I would be VERY interested in buying a CD-ROM compendium of
> > > > all pages from these old magazines. However, I have no idea
> > > > who owns the copyright for the old magazines, so I have no
> > > > way of approaching this idea.
> > > >
> > > > Maybe somebody in these newsgroups might know?
> > > >
> > > > Now, I COULD create a website and just upload scans from the
> > > > magazines I have, but that would likely draw various legal
> > > > problems which I'd rather not deal with. I would really much
> > > > prefer that the actual copyright owners are involved in
> > > > approving or doing something like this themselves.
> > > >
> > > > OTOH, posting those old mags on a website may be EXACTLY the
> > > > way to find those copyright holders! ;)
> > > >
> > > > -Mr. Boffo
> > > >
> > > > Email: mister_boffo@hotmail.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Doug Browning
> > > dougbrow@mb.imag.net
> > > www.mb.imag.net/~wpg750
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Doug Browning
> dougbrow@mb.imag.net
> www.mb.imag.net/~wpg750