Mike Wilson

Post date: Aug 28, 2016 9:36:5 PM

Mike Wilson

The television show “The Man with the Watch” may be in the public domain from improper copyright notice, but it is based on “The Star Slaver,” by Sam Merwin Jr., first published (under Merwin’s pseudonym Carter Sprague) in Fantastic Story Quarterly, vol. 1, no. 1, Spring 1950, the copyright of which was renewed (registration no. R669043) in 1977. Unless these are perhaps new characters that did not appear in the original story, they are not in the public domain. (27 Aug. 2016)

Yes, but the characters in this episode seem to have originated in a literary work still under copyright. (27 Aug.)

The story is still under copyright, so shouldn’t we avoid mentioning any plot elements, as they derive from “The Star Slaver,” in the Origin section? Leaving out Altimus’ name may not be enough. Shouldn’t we just say that Wilson was a New York City detective who was afraid his boss would think him crazy from the science‐fictional aspects of the case, that his wife was kidnaped by an extraterrestrial villain and that he saved the day by defeating the villain at the end of the story? What’s the consensus? It is probably safe to mention Wilson’s career as a professional athlete. 😉 (28 Aug.)