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of Age), and in books he may write in the future, for the duration of the copyrights involved. Bill has declared his intention to have these royalty rights revert to the movement when the copyrights expire. (1958 GSC-FR 7) .. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 5545. . . . . . . . . . . . History of Royalties - Part 3 From: Arthur S . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/23/2009 10:53:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1961 - April 19-23, (NY City) the 11th Conference. Bill W asked the General Service Board of Trustees to consider specific action, in respect of royalty payments on textbook literature, to assure that co-Founder Bill and his wife, Lois, may not suffer a possible loss of income in the future. .. In a moving display of its affection for Bill as the surviving co-founder of A. A. and for Lois, his wife, the Eleventh Conference suggested to the Board of Trustees that changes be made in Bill's current royalty arrangement involving A. A. textbooks to minimize the possibility that Bill's income might be reduced in the future if cheaper editions of AA texts are ever produced. .. The action was occasioned by a general discussion of the advisability of producing a "cheap edition" of the "Big Book". (See separate Policy page of this report)
with the movement, pointing out that all his income derived from book royalties and that he did not receive compensation for his non-writing services to the Fellowship. He stressed that he was not interested in accumulating a large estate but that he was concerned for the welfare of Lois and certain immediate relatives and devoted friends who might require assistance in the event of his passing. He said that he had already deposited with the Trustees an informal "letter of intent" suggesting what disposition might be made of royalties due his estate after his death.
undoubtedly curtail his income, Bill repeated a pledge that he has given previous Conferences. He said that if royalties under his present contract should become "unseemingly large" he would reduce them voluntarily or permit the movement to take the initiative in reducing them.
motion from the floor and adopted unanimously: "The Conference recognizes that the publication of cheap editions of AA books would probably reduce the income to World Services, and Bill's personal income. This conference unanimously suggests the following to the Trustees: To add a rider to Bill's royalty contract to the effect that, if cheaper books are ever published, Bill's royalties be increased by an amount sufficient to keep the royalty income at the same average level it had been for the five years before cheaper books were published; (further, that) as time goes on, if inflation erodes the purchasing power of this income, the Trustees will adjust the royalties to produce the same approximate purchasing power; this to be effective during the lifetime of Bill and Lois and Bill's legatees." (PIO 393, 1961 GSC-FR 3, 7)
royalties went to his mistress, Grapevine Editor, Helen W. The agreement provided Bill and Lois with a comfortable living on annual incomes between $30,000 to $40,000 during the 1960's ($175,000 to $233,000 today). At the time of Bill's death (1971) it was around $56,000 ($295,000 today). In the 1970's, royalties surged significantly and it made Lois W quite rich. (PIO 393, BW-FH 192-193, GB 69-70, WPR 72)
and approved an agreement between' Bill W, co-founder, and AA World Services Inc covering royalties derived from Bill's writings. (The intent of the agreement is to protect Bill, his wife, Lois, and their designated heirs, while defining AAWS's position as the Society's publishing agency). (1964 GSC-FR 4) .. A section of the Conference Report titled "Royalty Agreement On Bill's Writings Approved" stated: .. Of all the factors responsible for the growth of AA (and for the sobriety of hundreds of thousands of men and women around the world), probably none is more important than the movement's book literature. The three major texts - "Alcoholics Anonymous," "The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" and "AA Comes of Age" along with the service manual on The Twelve Concepts of Service are likely to endure as keys to personal sobriety and Group survival. All four publications have one thing in common; they were written or edited by Bill W, surviving co-founder, and the copyrights to them were assigned by Bill to the movement. The movement was thus assured ownership of its basic publications, the income from which has also underwritten many of the Society's world services.
received salary compensation from the movement. His only income has been from royalties on his writings and editorial work. Because the earlier royalty agreements made no provision for protecting Lois, Bill's wife, in the event of Bill's death, and did not provide for a transfer of royalties to relatives to whom Bill and Lois have obligations, the agreements have been reviewed by the General Service Board in recent years.
which was submitted to the 1964 Conference for review and approval. The new agreement, outlined in the report of the Conference Finance Committee, was approved unanimously by the Delegates. .. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 5546. . . . . . . . . . . . History of Royalties - Part 4 From: Arthur S . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/23/2009 10:54:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The 1964 Conference Approved an agreement between Bill W, co-founder, and AA World Services Inc covering royalties derived from Bill's writings. .. Under the terms of the contract, a royalty of 15 per cent is paid to Bill, except that no royalties are paid on "overseas editions." Royalties are to be paid to Bill and Lois, his wife, during their lifetimes; following the deaths of Bill and Lois, royalties revert in shares of royalties to living heirs. These shares revert to AAWS upon the deaths of the beneficiaries. Not more than 20 per cent may be bequeathed to any heir under the age of 40 years as of the date of the agreement between Bill and AAWS (April 29, 1963). The contract provides protection of royalties against "cheap books" and protection of AAWS and Bill against fluctuations in general economic conditions. AAWS retains the right of “first refusal" on any future literary works of Bill's. (1964 GSC-FR 9, 37) .. 1967 - April, the US copyright to the first edition Big Book expired and was not renewed. The oversight was not discovered until nearly 20 years later in 1985. It was also discovered in 1985 that the US copyright to new material in the second edition Big Book had lapsed in 1983. It should be noted however that the Big Book copyright has expired only in the US. It is still in force outside the US under international treaty agreements. (NG 299, GSO) .. 1975 - The Ask It Basket for the Conference contained the question: .. Q. Who receives the royalties from book sales? What did this amount to in 1974? In 1973? .. A. They used to go to Bill, now go to heirs designated in his will. Amounts are in your financial statements for 1973 and 1974. (1964 GSC-FR 40) .. 1978 - (1978 GSC-FR 43) contained the following: AA World Services, Inc, as lessee, provides facilities for GSO and the Grapevine, both of which pay for the space they occupy. As employer, AAWS pays GSO employees' salaries. And as publisher, AAWS owns the copyrights on all Conference approved books and literature. It pays Lois a royalty on the books Bill wrote. (This royalty was Bill's only source of income from AA. He never received a salary.) .. The Ask It Basket for the 1978 Conference contained the question: .. Q Please explain the royalties on the AA books. .. A The royalties agreement on the books Bill wrote are covered in a contract between Bill and the board. The royalty is 15% of the retail price. The contract provides that he could pass the royalties along to his widow, and that she could pass them on to another family member who is over 40 years of age at that time. Following the death of the family member, the royalties cease to exist and the money reverts to AA. The dollar amount is reported yearly in the Conference Report (see pg 50).
royalties and were advised that, as tapes were not covered in the original contract between Bill W and the board, there is no legal obligation. However, a moral obligation seemed t o exist. Lois W was consulted, and she chooses to forgo any royalties for one year and then review the matter.
expired without being renewed. AAWS did not discover the oversight until 1985. (NG 299) (1983 GSC-FR 31) contained the following:
Lois W's proposal that the 1963 royalty agreement between Bill W and the board be amended to permit her to bequeath part of her royalties to a foundation for at least ten years after her death or until 1997, whichever is later, and also a part to her nephew.
Could you please explain the royalties being paid on our literature? (I) On which pieces of literature do we pay royalties? (2) How much? (3) To whom? (4) For how long? A (1) The royalties are paid on the books Bill W wrote and are: Big Book; "AA Comes of Age," "As Bill Sees It," and "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions." (2) - (4) The royalties are the result of an agreement between AAWS and Bill W in 1963. Bill got 15% of the retail value of the books, and Lois was to receive 13 ½% of the retail value of the books, which she still receives today. As of last year, under the terms of the agreement between Bill and AAWS, Lois could, on a one-time basis, bequeath 80% of the royalties to individuals who were age 40 or more in 1963. The remaining 20% could be left to anyone at any age. This agreement has now been amended, and Lois can leave the royalties to other than an individual, such as a foundation to maintain Stepping Stones. However, any royalties Lois wills to a foundation will terminate ten years after her death. All other royalties will revert back to the board upon the demise of the recipient. (1984 GSC-FR 32)
1985 - AAWS discovered that the copyrights to the first and second edition of the Big Book had expired. The copyright on the first edition lapsed in 1967. The copyright on new material in the second edition lapsed in 1983. Both AAWS and the Wilson estate shared responsibility for copyright renewal. (NG 299, www)
by whom was it decided that Lois's royalties could and would be bequeathed to the next generation, and when will the royalties become AA's totally, if ever? A The royalties are paid on the books Bill W wrote, which are: The Big Book; "AA Comes of Age," "As Bill Sees It," and "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" (two editions). The royalties are the result of an agreement between AAWS and Bill W in 1963. Lois was to receive 13 ½% of the retail value of the books, which she still receives today. Under the terms of the agreement between Bill and AAWS, Lois could, on a one-time basis, bequeath 80% of the royalties to individuals who were age 40 or more in 1963. The remaining 20% could be left to individuals of any age. This agreement has now been amended, and Lois can leave the royalties to other than an individual, such as a foundation to maintain Stepping Stones. However, any royalties Lois wills to a foundation will terminate ten years after her death. All other royalties will revert back to the board upon the demise of the recipient. In the amendment, Lois gives up the right to leave anything to individuals younger than age 40 in 1963 except for an individual who was a few months short of age 40 at that time. (1985 GSC-FR 32) .. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ++++Message 5547. . . . . . . . . . . . History of Royalties - Part 5 (last) From: Arthur S . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/23/2009 10:55:00 PM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1986 - (1986 GSC-FR 8) contained the following under the title "Update on AA's copyrights." .. The copyright on the first edition of the Big Book lapsed in 1967 and the copyright on the new material in the second edition lapsed in 1983--both because of a failure to renew them in a timely fashion. There was a mistaken belief that registering the copyright on the second edition in 1956 served to revive the copyright on the first edition; the misconception continued, with respect to the second edition, when the third edition was copyrighted in 1976.
agreement between Bill and AAWS Inc? We and Lois reaffirmed the intent of Bill and the 1963 AAWS board by negotiating an amendment providing for the continuation of the 1963 agreement as though the copyrights were still valid and guaranteeing that Lois and AAWS, Inc, would each hold the other harmless for the loss of the copyright in 1967. .. 1986 - (1986 GSC-FR 28-29) contained the following under the report from AAWS:
We discovered that the copyright to the first edition of the Big Book lapsed in 1967, and that the material in that book has been in the public domain since that time. This event was precipitated by the publishing of a replica of the first edition by CTM Inc. As a result, we engaged in significant legal exchanges with that company, and we believe it has ceased to publish. Future responsibility for copyrights has been placed in the hands of attorneys.
Bragg (as president) on August 26, 1985, stipulating that: (1) Big Book royalty payments will continue to be made as though the copyrights were still in force; and (2) both AAWS and Lois (and her heirs) are released from claims against the other for failure, if any, by AAWS, Inc or Bill W (respectively) to apply for Big Book copyright renewal. .. 1988 - (1988 GSC-FR 32) contained the following under the report from AAWS: .. Our copyright attorneys sent a letter to the publisher and Nan R, the author, regarding her book "AA. -Inside Alcoholics Anonymous" which contains excerpts from AA literature, the use of AA's trademark, and a violation of the Twelfth Tradition. Due to lack of cooperation on the part of the author and the publisher, we were advised by legal counsel to expeditiously take all appropriate action with respect to trademark violation, including litigation if necessary, regarding the book, which gives the impression it is allied with AA and also threatens to be harmful to AA interests. As a result some, but not all, objectionable features have been removed.
rights mature, and to discontinue negotiations with Lois W's attorney. .. 1988 - Oct 5, Lois W (age 97) co-founder of Al-Anon Family Groups, died. (AACOA xi) Royalties passed to her surviving designated heirs who included Dr Leonard Strong husband of Lois' sister-in-law Dorothy (Bill's sister), a niece and nephew, Muriel Strong Morley and Leonard V Strong III, and sisters-in-law Laura and Florence Burnham. Also listed were Nell Wing, Lois' cousins Carol Lou Burnham, Ann Burhan Smith, Ann Walker, Dixon Walker and Kate Knap plus Bill's cousins Jean Kalkoff and Barbara Palazari. 50% was bequeathed to the Stepping Stones Foundation (to terminate on the later of August 31, 1997 or 10 years after Lois' death).
We discussed the proposal to settle with the recipients of our royalty payments which would end our legal obligation to pay royalties. After discussion, it was the consensus of the board that this would not be beneficial at this point in time.
($4,151,978 in 2006 dollars). Cumulative royalties amounted to $9,063,985 up to Lois' death in October 1988 ($23,259,233 in 2006 dollars). Cumulative royalties from 1950 to 2007 totaled $19,148,182 ($37,117,034 in 2006 dollars).
not hurt us .... From: jenny andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/24/2009 3:55:00 AM
what Bill said in a talk recorded in As Bill Sees It under the heading Trouble Becomes an Asset:
Conference (1958) holds promise and has been filled with progress - because it has had trouble ... If this Conference was ruffled, if individuals were deeply disturbed - I say, 'This is fine.' What parliament, what republic, what democracy has not been disturbed? Friction of opposing viewpoints is the very modus operandi on which they proceed. Then what should we be afraid of?"
From: Baileygc23@aol.com Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:22:57 -0500 Subject: Bill W quote: Our quarrels have not hurt us ....
'Our quarrels have not hurt us one bit.' Can anyone tell me which convention it was, and where I can get a copy of his entire address to that convention?
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Helen W.
From: jenny andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/24/2009 4:07:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Re history of BB royalties: "Helen (Wynn) was always broke ... (so) Bill decided that she would inherit a percentage of his royalties from the (Big) book..." (My Name is Bill, Susan Cheever, Washington Square Press, 2004);
contributed to her support though when he wanted to direct a portion of his royalty income to her, the AA trustees refused to do it. Bill was furious, and Helen was terribly hurt. In 1963, though, prompted by his worsening emphysema, Bill and AA executed a new royalty agreement that called for Helen to receive ten per cent of his book royalties, and Lois 90 per cent after his death. Bill also added a codicil to his will in which he referred to this agreement and confirmed that the allocation of royalty income it provided was indeed his desire." (Bill W: a biography of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson, Francis Hartigan, Thomas Dunne Books, St Martin's Griffin, 2000).
From: mdingle76 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/25/2009 10:09:00 AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII The following carbon copy was found in a file cabinet belonging to Tom Powers at East Ridge: Harper & Brothers Jun 3, 1957 49 E. 33rd Street New York, NY
"A.A. Comes of Age" of which I am the author, I wish to make the following disposition of my royalty of 15% for the duration of the first copyright or for the duration of the time you continue to distribute the book — whichever is the greater.
assign my royalties to the following people, for services rendered:
my royalty equally divided between Mr. Tom Powers of Chappaqua, New York, and Miss Nell Wing of New York City. Should you dispose of more than this quantity, I would like my royalties on the remainder divided equally between Mrs. Katherine Swentzel of New York City and Mrs. Helen Riker of Phoenix, Arizona.
share of the royalty will become payable to my account at Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc., New York City. Again, let me thank you deeply for the wonderful cooperation that I have enjoyed in the preparation of this book from all of you concerned at Harpers. Sincerely yours, William G. Wilson WGW/nw IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Yüklə 11,49 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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