Hello all

Hello all,
I’ve enjoyed reading all the posts but just haven’t had too much time to write to you all.  I studied shorthand in high school and college (Series 90), I didn’t take to get fast at it, I mostly took it so my nosey brother couldn’t read my journals, lol, plus being a typical young female I wanted it to look nice when I wrote.  I think like with most of us,  life happens and it all got put aside.  In the mid-nineties I dug out my old college book and started working on it again, but unfortunately I left it in my truck and it was stolen!!  Then this year I got interested in it again and bought me some books and started working on it again.  I was amazed about how much I could still read after years of not looking at it!!!  I bought the Centennial Edition which is closer to what I had originally learned and am really enjoying re-learning an old but wonderful skill.  I do have a question though, I’ve scanned the first book and was wondering where I could post it in case others would like to have it as well?  It’s Gregg Shorthand College Book 1 Centennial Edition I know how expensive these books are (even used ones) and I thought if anyone would like to have it and save themselves a little money I would gladly share my copy of it and plan to scan my other two books as well.  Anyway thanks for allowing me into this great group and I hope we all will continue to enjoy our passion for shorthand.
Tommie  :o)

(by freebird65832 for everyone)


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  1. Perhaps John can fill this in–but I suspect there could be legal problems. Centennial edition is certainly still in copyright–and it doesn't matter if it is not in print at all.

    Here's a link to a summary of copyright laws:

    http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/copyrightterm.pdf

    Also, a more in-depth discussion at:

    http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/okbooks.html

    Even Anniversary material may not be in public domain yet–but since McGraw-Hill started ownership with Simplified, they probably wouldn't care anyway. There is a great deal of Anniversary and Pre-Anni material posted, but nothing from afterward.

    Does anyone have accurate information on the copyright status of the older versions?

    C Nix

  2. I checked a copy of the Anniversary Manual that I purchased at a local bookstore in 1963 and, indeed, the copyright was renewed in 1957. Which opens an interesting question. Did McGraw-Hill purchase all rights to the Gregg system when taking over the Gregg Publishing Company? Since they still made the Anniversary Manual, Speed Studies and Dictionary available for purchase in the '60's, concurrently with all the Simplified books as well as DJS texts, I'd like to know if legally the shorthand system itself is in public domain. Since shorthand is no longer widely (if at all) taught in schools and since most people in the U.S. under a certain age have no knowledge of the existence of Gregg or Pitman, it seems doubtful that McGraw-Hill lawyers would prosecute anyone who disseminates that material on the Internet, but my question remains … does the company have the legal power to do so?

  3. "JRGAnniversary" wrote:

    > it seems doubtful that McGraw-Hill lawyers would prosecute anyone who disseminates that material on the Internet, but my question remains … does the company have the legal power to do so?

    Not only are they not likely to prosecute, apparently they don't even answer questions on the subject. They still haven't returned mine from last year, at any rate.

  4. I am sure that if I published a "new" shorthand text teaching beginners the Gregg system and it suddenly became a money-maker, the legal machinery of today's McGraw-Hill would spring into action. In truth, being familiar with the method of presentation utilized in the Gregg manuals – 1902, 1916, Anniversary, Simplified, and DJS – as well as the Functional approach for Anniversary and Simplified – it's difficult to visualize a "new" form of presentation.

    If I owned the rights to the books and wanted to repopularize pen shorthand, I suspect the best endorsement would be to have several popular sports, musical and show-biz figures visibly using shorthand – sort of like the "plugs" cigarette companies used to obtain on live daytime television in the '50's by having characters on the soaps smoking and placing their cigarette packs on furniture so that the labels could easily be read.

    With the right approach, it might be possible for a good agency to reawaken public interest in shorthand … at least for personal use. Certainly many students would profit from learning how to take accurate notes in high school and college. Or am I too optimistic?

    Is the Gregg system itself in public domain?

  5. There are other books containing Gregg Shorthand in them.  However, it is very likely that they purchased a license to use the shorthand.  I have a couple of secretarial practice books that contain shorthand (one is Simplified and the other is DJS).  The flyleaf says:  "Gregg shorthand outlines appearing in this book are used by permission of the McGraw-Hill . . . "  Given the intellectual property involved, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there was an agreement to be able to publish the Gregg Shorthand.   Sending out a new version may impact the copyright in a big way.  It could be that Series 90 and Centennial are still sole and exclusive property of McGraw-Hill.  I don't know if you can protect the older versions by publishing newer ones.  There were several editions of the Anniversary books.  Not sure if that impacts copyright or not.   Peter

  6. There are Gregg materials not published by Gregg Publishing or McGraw-Hill.  Not sure if they obtained permission for it, but since there are several Gregg knock-offs, it seems to me that copyright wasn't an issue.

  7.  When I learnt shorthand, we had a shorthand teacher who was obsessed by its importance at that time, and her fascination with it was catching,  but  I chose nursing.  I am reviewing my gregg shorthand (simplified) which I learnt at the early age of 14 years in the late 60's.  I am having to review my job options because of ill health (previously nursing).  To motivate myself to do the daily drills of at least 1 hour, is a challenge in itself,but Im slowly getting there, and its paying off, not least of all because of the memory recall of my previous learning of shorthand, but I  am having, some good memories of the days when I first acquired shorthand skills.  Another big motivator is  my belief that at whatever I use my shorthand  for, with accuracy it will save time for me.  Regards to all shorthand writers, Gill

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