Files from LOAD.CD library

[jujimufu]

I have found some interesting scores on http://www.load.cd (such as scores by Solomon Sulzer - who was Joseph Sulzer's father, whose scores we have here), and I would really really like to upload them on IMSLP..

..the only problem being that the scores have a) a page in front from load.cd, and b) a tag on the bottom from load.cd .

That wouldn't be a problem if the file wasn't password-protected (to edit, not to view - i.e. no saving separate pages, no splitting with software like PDFsam, not OCRing, no editing with photoshop or other image editing tools, etc etc).

If anyone has dealt with such files in the past, I could definitely do with some help (or I could send the files over), alternatively maybe someone from the higher ranks of IMSLP members could send them an e-mail on behalf of IMSLP asking permission to upload the files, and asking them to either provide the password or to provide the files without the tags (and they will be mentioned as the piece's "Scanner", if they want credit for it).

[vinteuil]

Just merge the file with nothing in PDFSAM and it should unlock it - right?

[daphnis]

Yes, it should.

[jujimufu]

Hm.. for some reason, my PDFsam can't do it. I get this error:

"Caused by: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: PdfReader not opened with owner password"

Both if I try to split it or merge it or mix it. Maybe it's because I'm on a mac? Can anyone try it on the windows version and let me know if it's my PDFsam that's crap or that the file just can't be opened? (just download any of the free files from the site and try)

If it is my PDFsam, I'll be quite annoyed..

[daphnis]

I think it may be the version you're using. I once tried a later version and it didn't work, which is why I stuck with using 0.7 stable release 1. You can send me a file and I can verify this if you like.

[jujimufu]

Ok - another question.

I got a "Cease and Desist" letter from an attorney on behalf of Load.CD, because I e-mailed some members of the website who provide scores of theirs for free on Load.CD (free of charge) and asked them if they would be interested in sharing their scores with IMSLP too. (The "Ceast and Desist" referred to my "spamming activities" - because I used a similar text to most of the people I contacted, and because -as their e-mails were not available- I contacted them through Load.CD's messaging service. Thus I was violating their terms of use because I used them for "unsolicited bulk e-mail of commercial content". Or whatever.)

They also mentioned that if I downloaded scores by living composers there and re-uploaded them on IMSLP without the Load.CD tags, that would be illegal (clearly - if the composers have only given permission to Load.CD to distribute their scores -albeit free of charge- then I would have to ask them for a separate permission to upload their scores here) (which is what I did).

My question is:

They also have some clearly public domain scores (like the Solomon Sulzer scores) (oh wait - I don't know what edition they are; but assuming it is a public domain edition) - am I right that I have full legal support to just download the files (which are available free of charge), remove the Load.CD title page, and any Load.CD tags, and re-upload it to IMSLP? Or would they have some say in the scanned copy because they scanned it (therefore, if they are the only peopel who have scanned it, the score would not otherwise be available online, or something)?

Just making sure before I do anything silly and bring any trouble to IMSLP.. :X (although I am fairly confident to assume that re-typesets of such public-domain scores would be absolutely legal)

[vinteuil]

My question is:

They also have some clearly public domain scores (like the Solomon Sulzer scores) (oh wait - I don't know what edition they are; but assuming it is a public domain edition) - am I right that I have full legal support to just download the files (which are available free of charge), remove the Load.CD title page, and any Load.CD tags, and re-upload it to IMSLP? Or would they have some say in the scanned copy because they scanned it (therefore, if they are the only peopel who have scanned it, the score would not otherwise be available online, or something)?

Just making sure before I do anything silly and bring any trouble to IMSLP.. :X (although I am fairly confident to assume that re-typesets of such public-domain scores would be absolutely legal)

Fire away, you totally have the support to upload the public domain files.

[musicfan]

that I have full legal support to just download the files (which are available free of charge), remove the Load.CD title page, and any Load.CD tags, and re-upload it to IMSLP?

Fire away, you totally have the support to upload the public domain files.

You forgot one thing. Load.CD's files are technically protected against editing. With bypassing/circumventing technical protective measures of data you might very well be liable to prosecution.

[daphnis]

Not if those protection measures are applied to materials that are already in the public domain. As they are not their intellectual property, they'd have no way of enforcing circumvention of those mechanisms they unfairly applied in the first place.

[musicfan]

Not if those protection measures are applied to materials that are already in the public domain. As they are not their intellectual property, they'd have no way of enforcing circumvention of those mechanisms they unfairly applied in the first place.

Data might not only be protected under a copyright perspective, but also under a data protection law perspective.
Of course, this might vary with the jurisdiction. So in the first hand, you have to ask what countries' criminal law would apply. That would usually be the country you act from, in the first place. It might also be the country where the action has its effects.

I know of at least some European jurisdictions that would regard a circumvention of a protective mechanism of a computer file (data) the criminal act of hacking.

[daphnis]

I know of at least some European jurisdictions that would regard a circumvention of a protective mechanism of a computer file (data) the criminal act of hacking.

I know of many US courts that would uphold the same, and that do on a regular basis. However I can't imagine that any of these judges' rulings in such a case would uphold copy-protection circumvention on public domain materials to begin with.