Very interesting article.
Back around Dick’s “Divorce # 2 (or maybe #3) Period”, he asked my (then single friend) wife to marry him. He was quite serious...and so was she in her refusal.
Back to the article: here is something I hope the ladies and their lawyers are exploring:
It was standard pulpzine practice back them to only purchase “First North American Serial Rights”; or, more rarely, “First Serial Rights” in a story, with all other rights remaining vested in the author. It was extremely rare for a magazine to outright purchase full rights.
So, even though the ‘Orbit’ copyright may have been valid and expired, they had most likely only purchased the right to first magazine publication in the U.S., and the anthology publication would STILL be the relavant copyright.
It sounds like they didn’t purchase any rights, or even tell the author they were publishing that.
The Autobio or notebook he maintained was the most interesting part of the story.
Shame the producers appear to be attempting to back out at this late point.
As Harlan Ellison said, “Pay the writer!”