Posted by Richard Stevens on December 06, 1997 at 12:44:10:
Three individuals registered the book's copyright, all as authors and owners of the rights. There is no agreement among them. They published the book, but now are angry at each other.
All copies were sold, leaving some orders unfulfilled. One of the owners unilaterally decided to reprint the book and fill the orders. All of the profits have always gone to an organization of which all three
persons were directors (non-profit, educational organization). The other two owners are upset, and think that they should have the right to prevent further publication or printing of the book unless their
permission is obtained first. I'm a lawyer, but know little copyright law. Is there something special about joint ownership of copyrights? Is it like "tenants in common?" Do the owners owe a duty of accounting, etc.? Can joint authors
prevent the others from publishing? Where is the best place to research this sort of question? [this is a pro-bono job] I would really appreciate any guidance you might have. Thank you!
[please e-mail me direct -- legalriter@aol.com]