"Free Citizen" writes:

"Fred" wrote in message
...

[snip]

No, not in the US. You are thinking copyrights I suspect. A
copyright can be renewed.

-- regards, Fred

"Verbing weirds language." -- Calvin

So, what do you think? Is the copyright of the Snorkel still held by
Sheaffer?

It would be a patent, not a copyright. They are governed under
different laws and have different legal and social consequences.
Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU project that made the free
GNU/Linux operating system possible, has some interesting and
controversial views:

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/misint...copyright.html

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/reeval...copyright.html

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/boldrin-levine.html