Looking for old Skin Diver and other magazines (For archive)

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Hey, that guy on rhe vintage scuba board had almost the same name as our
@David Wilson . What are the odds? :)

I like your idea of spreading out the work. I'll keep an eye out.
 
Such a project cannot be beyond the wit of man (or woman) when a complete 30-year run (1962-1992)...

The biggest obstacle is getting the rights to distribute this copyrighted material, even for free. I don't know for sure but I would guess that Peterson Publications still has the rights. I heard something about Peterson trying to sell Skin Diver but nobody wanted it because of pension liabilities. I'm not sure how accurate that is or if time has clouded my memory, Peterson Publications that is probably a good place to start.

@The Chairman or @Sam Miller III might remember more about it. Sam wrote this Legends of Diving Article article: Skin Diver Magazine

There might also be a clue here: Skin Diver Magazine Shuts Down

I can't imagine that the digital rights would cost much after all these years. I would be happy contribute my incomplete stash of 1960s and early 70s Skin Divers to the project for digitizing.
 
There are two legal questions that would have to be determined. First, has the copyright expired? This is very tricky to figure out for works first published between 1925 and 1964. Earlier works are in the public domain and later are still under copyright protection.

So there's at least a chance that Skin Diver issues through the end of 1963 are in the public domain.

However even if the works are under copyright protection, there is always a question of fair use. Fair Use is a defense to a copyright infringement claim. We are allowed to quote and copy copyrighted works without permission under certain circumstances. There's no hard lines on this, but the most important are how is it being used and is your use depriving the rights holder of anything.

To start with, the Copright Act specifies that educational use is acceptable:

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.

As to the latter, since the current rights holder does not sell back issues in any form, they have no claim of loss of market or value.

In other words, fair use should protect you as long as you were making the works available at no charge for research or educational purposes.
 
This is very tricky to figure out for works first published between 1925 and 1964. Earlier works are in the public domain and later are still under copyright protection.

Skin Diver was largely a spearfishing mag in the 1950s and early 1960s. Diving technology-wise, the mid 1960s through the 1970s were the most interesting. Skin Diver was getting pretty "fluffy" by the 1980s. It became a dive travel mag where everyplace was wonderful.
 
A. The Internet Archive is a library.

Wouldn't it be great if @The Chairman could get the digital rights for ScubaBoard! :poke: :D

Most high-end office copiers are capable of auto-feeding and double-side scanning of B-size (11x17"). The staples would have to be removed but I'm pretty sure that the software can correlate the pages properly to make a one-page width Acrobat file.

B. I'm into preservation regardless of copyright.

Sounds commendable but would it be worth the cost of scanning and labor if you get hit with a cease and desist letter and can't make it available? The first step is trying to figure out who owns the rights. Ping @Scuba Lawyer, any ideas?
 
Internet Archive doesn't require subscriptions or anything.

Interesting. Yea I was looking again (I researched this stuff years ago) at various ways to capture the content without harming the magazines as someone might let me borrow a years worth. Flatbed scanning (which is what I have now) works but is slow / time consuming. The two cameras mounted on a cube trick looks interesting speed wise but not sure if it works great for color or not.

I talked to friends in the vintage computer world and they have two specific models of Fujitsu scanners they recommend -- both are sheet fed duplex ADF 11x17 capable. As you mentioned they can ADF 11x17 pages and work great if the staples are removed. A local friend offered me a few ?Canon? copiers with ADF scanners but I don't want to drag them home.

A friend has 8 filing cabinet drawers of old electronics service manuals that are another target of my operation.
 
The first step is trying to figure out who owns the rights. Ping @Scuba Lawyer, any ideas?

Obtain US Copyright Office Circular 22 – How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work. Just Google it and a .pdf of Circular 22 can be downloaded. You can always call the US Copyright Office at (202) 707-9100. Good Luck! Mark

P.S. The value of my advice is worth exactly the amount of dollars paid for it. :)
 
Does anyone know of an index for Skin Diver Magazine?
 
Are you stil looking for Skin Divers. I have issues from the late 1990s to the end. Just found them when we were cleaning up our den.
 

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