Mein Kampf publisher convicted

[West-Front]

Article from: Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Warsaw May 26, 2009

THE Polish publisher of extracts of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf has been convicted of breaching copyright in a case brought by German officials who aim to stop spreading the Nazi leader's ideas.

Poland's PAP news agency reported today that the publisher, identified only as Marek S, received a three-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, from a court in the southwestern city of Wroclaw. He was also fined 2271 euros ($A4,070).

The German state of Bavaria has owned the rights to Mein Kampf since 1945, when Hitler committed suicide as his regime's defeat neared in the closing weeks of World War II.Bavarian authorities, who say they keep a close guard on the book's copyright in an effort to smother attempts to rehabilitate Nazism, have regularly brought cases against publishers.

They launched their case in Poland in 2005 against Marek S and his publishing house, XXL. They had sought an eight-month suspended sentence. In 2007, a Wroclaw court had decided to drop the case, ruling that while the publishing house had breached copyright, it had also acted in good faith and withdrawn the book from shelves and destroyed copies in its possession.

The print run of the Polish edition was 20,000.

[John Wilson]

What a farce!

[West-Front]

I have before me an original English edition copy of Mein Kampf printed in 1938 by Hurst & Blackett Ltd Paternoster House London EC4

[TacAide]

I have before me an original English edition copy of Mein Kampf printed in 1938 by Hurst & Blackett Ltd Paternoster House London EC4

I have a copy of that edition and also one published by Haughton Mifflin Comapny of Boston in the 1960's. Strangely enough this edition states: Copyright, 1943, by Haughton Mifflin Company.

Are the copyright laws different in the US, could a US company have a right to publish whenever they wish? As I said, they published this in the 60's.

At any rate I don't know what all the fuss is about, its not exactly an easy book to read let alone understand or be influenced by, definitely not for the coffee table.

[John Wilson]

I've got a Hurst and Blackett one as well, do you think if we scan pages and post them we'll be hounded by the copyright police?
I'm willing to do it.
copyright laws??? what a pile of piss!