[Archive]

Posted By: mcavoy

The rules on obtaining copyright have changed in recent years. I do not know the rules for 1948-1949, but if uncut sheets exist, many of these questions could be addressed. Copyright does not necessarily correspond to printing dates. Cards printed in 1949 having a 1948 copyright, should not have ever a 1949 copyright, unless different bios exist. Generally, then, the US copyright date should correspond with US publication. Back then, copyright requirements required the deposit of two (I think) copies with the copyright office, one of which would be deposited into the Library of Congress for examination by the public (and to transfer aquisition costs to copyright holders from the public). Therefore, it would not make sense for the same bio to have two copyright dates.

The purpose of copyright to holders is to control reproduction. Civil penalties may be awarded for unauthorized copying as well as court orders preventing future violations. In this case, Leaf's player bios were protected from plagerism by Bowman, Topps, pulp mags, season preview books, etc.

I quickly searched the Library of Congress for Leaf Gum, but I found nothing.