FWIW: This is why Dr. Suess, Mulberry Street, was withdrawn / banned.

[speak easy]

Pages 14 - 15


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[Demovictory9]

1. Also use of term "slant" eyes

Racist terminolgy that should not be in childrens books

[regnaD kciN]

7. "Dr. Seuss" was a notably-racist editorial cartoonist during WWII...

...and his cartoons strongly endorsed interment by spreading the narrative that every American of Japanese ancestry was a sleeper agent awaiting instructions from their “mother country” to strike against us “normal” Americans.

[speak easy]

8. 'the narrative that every American of Japanese ancestry was a sleeper agent'

was the popular justification of Japanese interment by the Federal Government.

[hauckeye]

2. What about "Scrambled Eggs Super"

That was one of my son’s favorite books when he was little. I haven’t been able to find out what content caused it to be on the list. Of course I don’t remember all the illustrations.

[speak easy]

4. The character 'Ali' is (apparently) regarded

as being offensive to Arabs.

[speak easy]

3. Why not remove the offensive caricatures / language

and leave the rest of the book in tact?

In this case it is wholly incidental to the story.

[Ms. Toad]

5. Copyright issues, for one.

Copyright generally lasts until death + 70 years.

Any changes would have to be permitted by the current holders of the copyright. Based on the announcement (from Dr. Seuss Enterprises), I presume they are the copyright holders and decided not to do that.

[speak easy]

6. So 2061- authors death + 70 years.

2061 - the next time one of these images can be reproduced. Meanwhile the most vile Nazi/racist propaganda is available to one and all.

[Ms. Toad]

9. Not quite sure what you are saying.

Seuss (or those he devised the copyrights to, or his heirs if he left no will) has the right to control (1) reproductions and (2) derivative works from his works of authorship.

The entity holding the copyright (likely Dr. Seuss enterprises) gets to choose to permit reproduction (i.e. they can reprint it all they want) or to modify it (removing the racist words/images). So they are free to permit (or prohibit) republication, and they are free to alter (or permit someone else to alter) the works to remove the troublesome words and images - and to reproduce (or prohibit reproduction) of the altered images.

Copyright is all about the right to control copying and modifying. So it doesn't mean they can't be reproduced - it means they can't be reproduced without the permission of whoever owns the copyright until (likely) 2061.

Vile Nazi/racist propaganda is subject to the exact same copyright rules. Whoever created it (assuming they are in the US) can choose to permit or prohibit republication.

If you want to prohibit content (regardless of who created it) that is a different area of the law.

[Darwins_Retriever]

10. Dr. Seuss Enterprises is the one who withdrew the books

from publication.