User:OberMegaTrans/SS2018/TheThreeInvestigators

Translation Die drei ???

Part 1

Publishing Halt in the USA

1980 verstarb Hitchcock und Random House strebte eine Verlängerung des Lizenzvertrags nicht an. Mit Folge 31 The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar (deutsch: … und das Narbengesicht) erschien der erste Fall ohne die Schirmherrschaft und das Vorwort Hitchcocks. Nach und nach wurden auch die ersten 30 Episoden der Serie neu bearbeitet und Hitchcocks kommentierende Rolle durch einen fiktiven Charakter, den Schriftsteller und ehemaligen Detektiv Hector Sebastian, ersetzt. Eine Ausnahme machte der erste Band: dieser wurde nun von dem fiktiven Regisseur Reginald Clarke präsentiert, da in dieser Geschichte ein Hollywood-Regisseur für die Handlung wichtig war.

Zwischen 1985 und 1987 erschienen in der Find-your-fate-Serienreihe vier Bücher mit Fällen der drei Detektive. Dabei handelt es sich um Spielbücher, in denen der Leser zusammen mit den drei Fragezeichen den Fall übernimmt und durch geschickte Entscheidungen versucht, diesen zu lösen. Im Jahr 1987 wurde die Ursprungsserie The Three Investigators in den USA eingestellt. Mit der Nachfolgeserie The Three Investigators Crimebusters versuchte man an die einstigen Erfolge der Originalserie anzuknüpfen. Das Konzept wurde verändert, man ließ die drei Detektive merklich altern, gab ihnen sowohl Führerscheine als auch Freundinnen und schickte sie für weitere elf Fälle erneut ins Rennen. Der große Erfolg blieb allerdings aus, sodass auch diese Serie im Jahre 1991 eingestellt wurde.

207 words

Translation: Demiguise246

When Hitchcock died in 1980 and Random House did not aim for a contract extension concerning license renewal afterwards. The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar was the thirty-first episode in the series and the first to not be published under the auspices of Hitchcock. The already published episodes of the series were then gradually revised and renewed - Hitchcock’s commenting remarks on the fictional events were cut and replaced. Hector Sebastian, a fictional detective and writer, took his place in the story instead. The first episode was the only exception - Reginald Clarke, a fictional film director, superseded Hitchcock’s character as the narrative required for a Hollywood-related film maker.

The Three Investigators were featured in four episodes of the Find-Your-Fate mystery book series between 1985 and 1987. These were gamebooks, allowing the reader to participate in the story and to help solve the case. Still, the original series was discontinued in the US in 1987 and replaced by a sequel, called The Three Investigators Crimebusters. The publishers tried to live up to earlier success by raising the main characters’ age and introducing their girlfriends. Eleven more episodes followed, but failed in being as successful as the original. As a result, the sequel was discontinued in 1991 as well.

Proofreading: Serpent_s_tooth

final version

When Hitchcock passed away in 1980, Random House did not aim for a contract extension concerning license renewal. The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar was the thirty-first episode in the series and the first to not be published under the auspices of Hitchcock. The already published episodes of the series were then gradually revised and renewed - for example, Hitchcock’s commenting remarks on the fictional events were cut and replaced. Hector Sebastian, a fictional detective and writer, took his place in the story instead. The first episode was the only exception - Reginald Clarke, a fictional film director, superseded Hitchcock’s character as the narrative required for a Hollywood-related film maker.

The Three Investigators were featured in four episodes of the Find-Your-Fate mystery book series between 1985 and 1987. These were interactive books, allowing the reader to participate in the story and to help solve the case. Still, the original series was discontinued in the US in 1987 and replaced by a sequel, called The Three Investigators Crimebusters. The publishers tried to live up to earlier success by raising the main characters’ age and introducing their girlfriends. Eleven more episodes followed, but failed in being as successful as the original. As a result, the sequel was discontinued in 1991 as well.

Part 2

(cont. Publishing Halt)

Es wurden noch drei weitere Bücher für die Reihe geschrieben, die jedoch in den USA nicht veröffentlicht wurden: Originalserie Band 44 The Mystery of the Ghost Train (unveröffentlicht/nicht fertig) von M.V. Carey, Crimebusters Folge 12 Brain Wash von Peter Lerangis und Folge 13 High Strung von G. H. Stone (jeweils in dt. Fassung 2011 veröffentlicht).

Story

Die drei ??? sind ein ursprünglich aus einem Denksportclub hervorgegangenes Junior-Detektivteam, das in Rocky Beach beheimatet ist, einer fiktiven kalifornischen Küstenstadt, die zwischen Los Angeles und Santa Barbara liegt. Justus Jonas wohnt bei seiner Tante Mathilda Jonas und seinem Onkel Titus Jonas in einem Haus am Rande der Stadt. Seine Eltern kamen ums Leben, als Justus noch ein Kind war. In der Folge …und der riskante Ritt wird deutlich ein Autounfall erwähnt, in der Folge Das leere Grab jedoch ist von einem Verschwinden nach einem Flugzeugabsturz die Rede. Die „Zentrale“ der drei ??? befindet sich am Rande des Schrottplatzes von Onkel Titus. Es handelt sich dabei um einen Wohnwagen mit verschiedenen Geheimausgängen, einem Büro mit Telefon, einem Labor und einer Dunkelkammer. Viele andere Utensilien, wie zum Beispiel eine Abhöranlage oder ein Periskop, mit dem sie aus dem Dunkel der Zentrale nach draußen blicken können, hat Justus im Laufe der Zeit aus alten Ersatzteilen vom Schrottplatz zusammengebaut.

211 words

Translation: MeoCB

Three more books were written as part of the series, though they remained unpublished in the US: Original series volume 44 “The Mystery of the Ghost train” by M.V. Care (unfinished and unpublished), Crimebusters Episode 12 “Brain Wash” by Peter Lerangis and Episode 13 “High Strung” by G.H. Stone (both published in German in 2011).

Story

The Three Investigators are a junior detective team that initially came together because of a mental exercise club. They live in Rocky Beach, a fictional coastal town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Jupiter Jones, the "First Investigator", lives with his aunt Mathilda Jones and his uncle Titus Jones in a house on the edge of the city. His parents died when he was young. Although “An Ear for Danger” mentions a car accident as their cause of death, in the episode “...das leere Grab” (German only) they are said to have disappeared following a plane crash. The “headquarters” of the Three Investigators is at the edge of a junkyard belonging to Uncle Titus. It is a caravan with multiple secret exits, an office with a phone, a lab and a dark room. Many other utensils, such as for example a listening device or a periscope, are built by Jupiter using spare parts found in the junkyard.

final version

Three more books were written as part of the series, though they remained unpublished in the US: Original series volume 44 “The Mystery of the Ghost train” by M.V. Care (unfinished and unpublished), Crimebusters Episode 12 “Brain Wash” by Peter Lerangis and Episode 13 “High Strung” by G.H. Stone (both published in German in 2011).

Story

The Three Investigators are a junior detective team that initially came together because of a mental exercise club. They live in Rocky Beach, a fictional coastal town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Jupiter Jones, the "First Investigator", lives with his aunt Mathilda Jones and his uncle Titus Jones in a house on the edge of the city. His parents died when he was young. Although “An Ear for Danger” mentions a car accident as their cause of death, in the episode “...das leere Grab” (German only) they are said to have disappeared following a plane crash. The “headquarters” of the Three Investigators is at the edge of a junkyard belonging to Uncle Titus. It is a caravan with multiple secret exits, an office with a phone, a lab and a dark room. Many other utensils, such as for example a listening device or a periscope, are built by Jupiter using spare parts found in the junkyard. Proofreading: Demiguise246

Part 3

(cont. Story)

Über Peters und Bobs Wohnort ist weniger bekannt. Bobs Vater ist je nach Fall Sport-, Wirtschafts- oder Politikjournalist bei der Los Angeles Post, was den drei ??? in manchem Fall nützlich ist. Peters Vater arbeitet als Techniker für Spezialeffekte beim Film. Ab und zu werden sie in ihren Kriminalfällen von Alfred Hitchcock, dem Chauffeur Morton sowie den Polizisten Kommissar Reynolds (ältere Fälle) und Inspektor Cotta unterstützt.

„Dürfen wir Ihnen unsere Karte zeigen?“ – Das Aushändigen der Visitenkarte an potenzielle Klienten ist das Markenzeichen der drei Detektive – vergleichbar mit der Vorstellung „Bond, James Bond“ des bekannten britischen Geheimagenten in dessen Filmen. Meist übergibt Justus die Karte in einer passenden Situation und wartet ab, wie die Klienten auf die drei Fragezeichen-Symbole reagieren. Oft wird gewitzelt, ob die Fragezeichen etwa andeuten sollen, dass die drei Detektive ihre eigenen Fähigkeiten anzweifeln. Daraufhin erklärt Justus normalerweise: „Die Fragezeichen sind ein allgemeines Symbol für das Unbekannte, für ungelöste Rätsel und Geheimnisse aller Art“ (oder eine ähnliche, möglichst hochgestochen klingende Umschreibung). In den Anfängen müssen die drei ??? oftmals viel Überzeugungsarbeit leisten. Meist misstrauen die Klienten den Fähigkeiten der drei ???, weil ihnen die Detektive zu jung erscheinen.

190 words

Translation: FlaschenLicht

Little information is given about Peter’s and Bob’s home. Depending on the case, Bob’s father is a sportswriter, economic journalist, or political journalist, which helps the Three Investigators in some of their cases. Peter’s father works as a film technician in special effects. During some of their cases, the boys are supported by Alfred Hitchcock, the chauffeur Worthington and the police inspectors Reynolds and Cotta.

“We Investigate Anything” is the Three Investigators' trademark slogan on their business card – comparable to James Bond’s well-known introduction “My name is Bond. James Bond.” Most often, Jupiter is the one to hand over the card in a fitting moment to see the clients’ reactions to the three question marks. Often, that reaction is a joke, with the clients asking whether the question marks mean the investigators doubt their own abilities. Jupiter usually retorts something like: “That’s our symbol. […] The question marks stand for mysteries unsolved, riddles unanswered, puzzles of any kind. So we use it as our trademark. We investigate any kind of mystery.” .

To prove themselves, the Three Investigators usually have a lot of persuading to do in the beginning, as the clients often mistrust their abilities because the investigators are so young.

Proofreading: MeoCB

final version

Little information is given about Peter’s and Bob’s home. Depending on the case, Bob’s father is a sportswriter, economic journalist, or political journalist, which helps the Three Investigators in some of their cases. Peter’s father works as a film technician in special effects. During some of their cases, the boys are supported by Alfred Hitchcock, the chauffeur Worthington and the police inspectors Reynolds and Cotta.

“We Investigate Anything” is the Three Investigators' trademark slogan on their business card – comparable to James Bond’s well-known introduction “My name is Bond. James Bond.” Most often, Jupiter is the one to hand over the card in a fitting moment to see the clients’ reactions to the three question marks. Often, that reaction is a joke, with the clients asking whether the question marks mean the investigators doubt their own abilities. Jupiter usually retorts something like: “That’s our symbol. […] The question marks stand for mysteries unsolved, riddles unanswered, puzzles of any kind. So we use it as our trademark. We investigate any kind of mystery.” [1].

To prove themselves, the Three Investigators usually have a lot of persuading to do in the beginning, as the clients often mistrust their abilities because the investigators are so young.

Part 4

(cont. Story)

Neben der Visitenkarte legen die drei ??? in den ersten Fällen noch ein Empfehlungsschreiben der Polizeidirektion von Rocky Beach vor, unterzeichnet vom Hauptkommissar Samuel Reynolds: „Der Inhaber dieses Ausweises ist ehrenamtlicher Junior-Assistent der Polizeidirektion von Rocky Beach. Die Behörde befürwortet jegliche Unterstützung von dritter Seite.“ Auch die Visitenkarte wird nicht mehr, wie in den Anfangsfolgen immer, gezeigt.

Authors

Zwischen 1964 und 1990 veröffentlichte Random House insgesamt 56 Bücher. Nach der Einstellung der Serie 1990 schrieb ab 1993 ein deutschsprachiges Autoren-Team im Auftrag des Franckh Kosmos-Verlags neue Fälle. 2011 wurden drei bisher unveröffentlichte Romane der US-Autoren Peter Lerangis, Megan und H. William Stine und G. H. Stone in Deutschland veröffentlicht.

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

Erfunden wurde die Serie 1964 unter dem Titel The Three Investigators vom amerikanischen Schriftsteller Robert Arthur in den USA. Arthur verkaufte die internationalen Verwertungsrechte an das Verlagshaus Random House. Das Urheberrecht blieb jedoch bei ihm. Der Vertrag umfasste Rechte für die Publizierung von Büchern, Filmen, Comics und für die „mechanical sound reproduction“. Da es zur damaligen Zeit noch keinen nennenswerten Hörbuchmarkt gab, ist rechtlich nicht eindeutig bestimmbar und deshalb anzuzweifeln, ob diese „mechanische Ton-Vervielfältigung“ das Medium Hörbuch bzw. Hörspiel meint, so wie es jetzt existiert.Die deutschsprachigen Verwertungsrechte erwarb 1968 der Franckh-Kosmos Verlag von Random House.

204 words

Translation: 16bienchen06

Cont. Story

In the first cases the three investigators put in next to the business card a letter of recommendation from the Police Department of Rocky Beach signed by Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds. It says: "The holder of this badge is a junior volunteer assistant to the Police Department of Rocky Beach. The authority advocates any support from third parties." Even the business card is no longer shown as in the initial consequences.

Authors

Between 1964 and 1990, Random House published a total of 56 books. After the discontinuation of the series in 1990, a German-speaking author team wrote on behalf of the Franck Kosmos-Verlag new cases since 1993. In 2011, three previously unpublished novels by the US authors Peter Lerangis, Megan and H. William Stine and G. H. Stone were published in Germany.

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

The series entiteld „The Three Investigators“ by the American writer Robert Arthur was invented in the US in 1964. Arthur sold the international exploitation rights to the publishing house Random House. However, the copyright remained with him. The contract included the rights to publish books, films, comics and the „mechanical sound reproduction“. Since there was no significant audiobook market at that time, it is not legally unambigiously determined and therefore doubt appears concerning whether this "mechanical sound reproduction" discribes the medium audio book or radio play, as it exists now. The Franck-Kosmos publisher of Random House acquired the German-speaking exploitation rights in 1968.

Proofreading: FlaschenLicht

I think the first sentece would sound a little better if you said: In their first cases, the three investigators also provide, apart from their business card, a letter of recommendation [...]. And for better understanding of the next sentence, you could add In their later cases, even the business card is no longer presented as in [...]

For the Authors part, I think [...] a German author team started writing new books on behalf of the Franck Kosmos publishing house in 1993.

The series entitled "The Three Investigators" was invented by the American writer Robert Arthur in the US in 1964. makes more sense to me, because the focus in the sentence is on the invention and not on the author.

patent rights would be another word for exploitation rights. I like it more, because it doesn't sound as negative, but it really doesn't matter which one is used, I think.

In the sentence with the mechanical sound reproduction, you don't need the inverted commas. And because there's no article in front of films, comics, I think there doesn't need to be one in front of mechanical sound reproduction.

For the next sentence, I think it made more sense if you wrote [...] it is legally not clearly determinable and therefore doubtful whether this "mechanical sound reproduction" describes the medium of audio books or radio plays as they exist now.

final version

In their first cases, the three investigators also provide, apart from their business card, a letter of recommendation from the Police Department of Rocky Beach signed by Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds. It says: "The holder of this badge is a junior volunteer assistant to the Police Department of Rocky Beach. The authority advocates any support from third parties." Even the business card is no longer shown as in the initial stories.

Authors

Between 1964 and 1990, Random House published a total of 56 books. After the discontinuation of the series in 1990, a German author team began writing new books under the commission of the Franck Kosmos publishing house in 1993. In 2011, three previously unpublished novels by the US authors Peter Lerangis, Megan and H. William Stine and G. H. Stone were published in Germany.

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

The series was invented by the American writer Robert Arthur in the US in 1964. Arthur sold the international exploitation rights to the publishing house Random House. However, the copyright remained with him. The contract included the rights to publish books, films, comics and the „mechanical sound reproduction“. Since there was no significant audiobook market at that time, it is legally not clearly determinable and therefore doubtful whether this "mechanical sound reproduction" describes the medium of audio books or radio plays as they exist now. The Franck-Kosmos publisher of Random House acquired the German-speaking exploitation rights in 1968.

Part 5

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Initial Position)

Zudem erwarb das Label Europa 1979 die Tonträgerrechte an der Serie als Sublizenznehmer vom Kosmos-Verlag.

Nach Robert Arthurs Tod 1969 wurden die Urheberrechte an die Universität Michigan übertragen. In seinem Testament legte er fest, dass „alle Rechte, Rechtstitel und Beteiligungen, die [er] zum Zeitpunkt [seines] Todes an allen veröffentlichten Büchern, Kurzgeschichten, Theaterstücken oder unveröffentlichten Manuskripten haben werde, darunter, unter anderem, alle auf [seinem] Namen ausgestellten Urheberrechte, sowie alle Rechte auf Lizenzgebühren und Nebenrechte, die [ihm] aus Verträgen mit Verlegern zustehen“ an die Universität Michigan übergeben werden. Dies habe vor allem steuerrechtliche Gründe gehabt, da für Hinterlassenschaften an Bildungseinrichtungen keine Erbschaftssteuern fällig wurden.

Random House zahlte seitdem Tantiemen an die Universität, stellte die Zahlung aber 1992 ein, da nicht klar war, ob die Universität Michigan noch einen rechtlichen Anspruch hatte. Im amerikanischen Urheberrechtsgesetz galt nämlich für Literatur, die vor 1977 ein Copyright erhielt, eine Schutzklausel, die dafür sorgte, dass sämtliche Lizenzen nach 28 Jahren automatisch an den Autor oder dessen Erben zurückfielen. Daraufhin schlossen Random House mit den Erben Arthurs, seinen Kindern Elizabeth Ann Arthur und Robert Andrew Arthur, einen weiteren Vertrag für die Verwertungsrechte der Bände von Arthur und für die weitere Nutzung der Charaktere mit der Bedingung, dass die zehn Bücher wieder auf den amerikanischen Markt gebracht werden.

209 words

Translation: Superpanda55

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

The label Europa received the rights to the audio version of the series as part of the sublicense partners of the Kosmos Verlag.

After the death of Robert Arthur in 1969, the copyrights were given to the University of Michigan. In his testimony Arthur declared that: ‘’all rights, legal titles and stakes, [he] owned by the time of [his] death, concerning all books, short stories, plays or published manuscripts, including all issued copyright claims, just as all rights for license fees and subsidiary rights, as it is specified in his contracts with publishers‘’ were to be given to the university of Michigan. This is said to mainly be for fiscal reasons, because legacies given to education establishments avoid inheritance taxes.

Since then Random House has been paying royalties to the university, however, stopped doing so as of 1992, because it was not clear whether the university of Michigan still had a rightly entitlement. The American copyright act said that literature, which received a copyright before 1977, had a safeguard clause, which made sure, that all licenses automatically returned to the author or his heirs after 28 years. As a result of that, Random House and Arthur’s heirs, his children Elizabeth Ann Arthur and Robert Andrew Arthur, signed a contract for the rights of use of the volumes of Arthur and the further usage of the characters, under the condition that the 10 books were to be brought back onto the American market.

Proofreading: 16bienchen06

I would change this sentence a little bit to highlight which of Arthurs works have been published or unpublished. In his testimony Arthur declared that: ‘’all rights, legal titles and stakes, [he] owned by the time of [his] death, concerning all published books, short stories, plays or unpublished manuscripts...

final version

The label Europa received the rights to the audio version of the series as part of the sublicense partners of the Kosmos Verlag.

After Robert Arthur's death in 1969, the copyrights were given to the University of Michigan. In his testimony Arthur declared that: ‘’all rights, legal titles and stakes, [he] owned by the time of [his] death, concerning all published books, short stories, plays or unpublished manuscripts, including all issued copyright claims, just as all rights for license fees and subsidiary rights, as it is specified in his contracts with publishers‘’ were to be given to the university of Michigan. This is said to mainly be for fiscal reasons, because legacies given to education establishments avoid inheritance taxes.

Since then Random House has been paying royalties to the university, however, stopped doing so as of 1992, because it was not clear whether the university of Michigan still had a rightly entitlement. The American copyright act said that literature, which received a copyright before 1977, had a safeguard clause, which made sure, that all licenses automatically returned to the author or his heirs after 28 years. As a result of that, Random House and Arthur’s heirs, his children Elizabeth Ann Arthur and Robert Andrew Arthur, signed a contract for the rights of use of the volumes of Arthur and the further usage of the characters, under the condition that the 10 books were to be brought back onto the American market.

Part 6

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Initial Position)

Nachdem die Serie 1991 in den USA eingestellt wurde, bemühte sich der Kosmos-Verlag um die Rechte, die Serie in Deutschland mit deutschsprachigen Autoren fortsetzen zu dürfen, und schloss 1994 mit Random House einen entsprechenden Vertrag, ohne die Einwilligung der Erben Arthurs.

Im Jahre 2002 wurden die Verwertungsrechte an den zehn Bänden von Robert Arthur von Random House an die Erben Robert Arthurs zurückübertragen, nachdem das Verlagshaus nicht die vereinbarten Wiederveröffentlichungen der Werke eingehalten hatte. Bereits im Jahre 1999 hatte allerdings der Kosmos-Verlag sich die Wortmarke Die drei ??? deutschlandweit und im Jahre 2003 europaweit als europäische Marke für Tonträger und Druckerzeugnisse schützen lassen.

Verhandlungen zwischen dem Kosmos-Verlag und den Erben über einen neuen Nutzungsrechtevertrag schlugen fehl, da sich Kosmos auf seine Markenregistrierung und laufende Verträge mit Random House berief. Außerdem bezweifelte Kosmos, dass Arthurs Erben die Rechteinhaber seien, da laut des Testaments Arthurs sämtliche Rechte der Universität Michigan übertragen werden sollten. Ende 2004 schlossen stattdessen Random House und Kosmos einen umfangreichen Vertrag, der vorsah, dass alle Rechte an den weiteren amerikanischen Romanen, die nicht von Arthur stammten, in den Besitz des Kosmos Verlags übergingen.

Lawsuit

Aufgrund der unklaren rechtlichen Situation entschloss sich Europa Anfang 2005, keine weiteren Folgen zu veröffentlichen, die auf den Buchvorlagen des Kosmos-Verlages basieren, und stellte die Lizenzzahlungen an Kosmos ein.

213 words

Translation: TheKitzi

After the series was discontinued in the USA in 1991, Kosmos Verlag sought the rights to continue the series in Germany with German-language authors, and in 1994 signed a corresponding contract with Random House without the consent of Arthur's heirs.

In 2002, Robert Arthur of Random House returned the rights to the ten volumes to Robert Arthur's heirs after the publisher failed to comply with the agreed republications of the works. In 1999, however, Kosmos-Verlag had already registered the word mark Die drei??? throughout Germany and in 2003 throughout Europe as a European trademark for audio carriers and printed products.

Negotiations between Kosmos Verlag and the heirs on a new usage rights agreement failed because Kosmos relied on its trademark registration and ongoing agreements with Random House. Furthermore, Kosmos doubted that Arthur's heirs were the right holders, since according to Arthur's will, all rights were to be transferred to the University of Michigan. At the end of 2004, Random House and Kosmos signed an extensive agreement to transfer all rights to the other American novels not written by Arthur to Kosmos Verlag.

Lawsuit

Due to the unclear legal situation, Europe decided at the beginning of 2005 not to publish any further episodes based on the book templates of Kosmos Verlag and discontinued the license payments to Kosmos.

Proofreading: Superpanda55

final version

After the series was discontinued in the USA in 1991, Kosmos Verlag sought the rights to continue the series in Germany with German authors, and in 1994 signed a corresponding contract with Random House without the consent of Arthur's heirs.

In 2002, Robert Arthur of Random House returned the rights to the ten volumes to Robert Arthur's heirs after the publisher failed to comply with the agreed republications of the works. In 1999, however, Kosmos-Verlag had already registered the word mark Die drei??? throughout Germany and by 2003 throughout Europe as well as a European trademark for audio carriers and printed products.

Negotiations between Kosmos Verlag and the heirs on a new usage rights agreement failed because Kosmos relied on its trademark registration and ongoing agreements with Random House. Furthermore, Kosmos doubted that Arthur's heirs were the right holders, since according to Arthur's will, all rights were to be transferred to the University of Michigan. At the end of 2004, Random House and Kosmos signed an extensive agreement to transfer all rights to the other American novels not written by Arthur to Kosmos Verlag.

Lawsuit

Due to the unclear legal situation, Europa decided at the beginning of 2005 not to publish any further episodes based on the book templates of Kosmos Verlag and discontinued the license payments to Kosmos.

Part 7

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Lawsuit)

Zu diesem Zeitpunkt waren die Bücher "Spur ins Nichts" und "… und der Geisterzug" bereits komplett als Hörspiel eingesprochen.

Der Mutterkonzern des Labels Europa Sony Music Entertainment (damals Sony BMG) erwarb schließlich 2006 unabhängig vom Kosmos-Verlag von den Erben Robert Arthurs sämtliche deutschen Rechte an Arthurs Werken und der Nutzung der originalen Charakteren und Schauplätze. Der Vertrag umfasste das Recht neue deutschsprachige Bücher in Auftrag zu geben, sowie die Auswertung als Tonträger. Zudem wurden alle „[…] Anteile [der Kinder Arthurs] an sämtlichen deutschsprachigen Audioaufnahmen, gebundenen Büchern, Taschenbüchern, Bühnenaufführungen und Filmaufzeichnungen von Bühnenaufführungen von allen existierenden abgeleiteten Werken an SonyBMG übertragen“. Europa entwickelte davon ausgehend eine neue Hörspielserie namens DiE DR3i. Wegen des Markenschutzes der Wortmarke Die drei ??? vermied Europa allerdings die Nutzung dieser Marke sowie der von Kosmos kreierten Namen. Stattdessen wurden nur Charaktere und Namen, die auf der Idee Arthurs beruhen, verwendet (Originalnamen der Charaktere).

Der Kosmos-Verlag setzte seine Buchreihe unter bekanntem Titel und mit den bekannten Charakternamen fort. Da sich Sony BMG in seinen Nutzungsrechten verletzt sah, hatte die Gesellschaft Klage gegen den Kosmos-Verlag eingereicht. Gegen den Vertrieb von zwei Romanen (Spuk im Netz, sowie … und der Fluch des Drachen) wurde eine einstweilige Verfügung erwirkt.

199 words

Translation: BlueAhoi

At that time the books “track that leads nowhere” (Spur ins Nicht) and “… and the Ghost Train (der Geisterzug)” were already totally recorded (suggestion: without the `totally`) as a radio play.

In 2006 the parent company of the european label Sony Music Entertainment (formerly Sony BMG) gained finally (finally gained)all the german rights on Arthur's creations and the use of the original characters and showplaces independently from Kosmos publishing house of Robert Arthur's successors. The contract contained the right to order new German-speaking books (just German books or books in German), as well as the right to evaluate the sound storage medium. Moreover, all were transferred: from" […] interests [of Arthur's children] in all german (German) audio recordings, bound books, pocketbooks, theatrical performances and electronic film recordings of theatrical performances to all existing derived products in SonyBMG ". Europe developed a new audio drama named DiE DR3i (the thr33) based on it. Indeed Europe avoided the use of the name Die drei ??? (the three???) and also the name created by Kosmos because of the protection of the brand. Instead of that only characters and names which were based on Arthur’s ideas were used (characters’ original names).

The Kosmos publishing house continued its series of books under well-known titles and with famous character’s names. The society Klage (Klage is not the name of the society?!) had submitted against the cosmos publishing house because Sony BMG itself saw its exploitation rights violated. A provisional disposal was obtained against the sale of two novels ( Haunt in the net, as well as...(Spuk im Netz, sowie…) and the curse of the dragon (der Fluch des Drachen)).

Proofreading: TheKitzi

final version

At that time the books “Spur ins Nicht” and “der Geisterzug” had already been recorded as an audio book.

In 2006 the parent company of the european label Sony Music Entertainment (formerly Sony BMG) finally gained all the german rights on Arthur's creations and the use of the original characters and showplaces independently from Kosmos publishing house of Robert Arthur's successors. The contract contained the right to order new books in German, as well as the right to evaluate the sound storage medium. Moreover, all were transferred: from" […] interests [of Arthur's children] in all German audio recordings, bound books, pocketbooks, theatrical performances and electronic film recordings of theatrical performances to all existing derived products in SonyBMG ". Europa developed a new audio book named DiE DR3i based on it. Indeed Europa avoided the use of the name Die drei ??? and also the name created by Kosmos because of the protection of the brand. Instead of that only characters and names which were based on Arthur’s ideas were used (characters’ original names).

The Kosmos publishing house continued its series of books under well-known titles and with famous character’s names. The society filed a lawsuit against the Kosmos publishing house because Sony BMG itself saw its exploitation rights violated. A provisional disposal was obtained against the sale of two novels “Spuk im Netz” and “der Fluch des Drachen”.

Part 8

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Lawsuit)

Daher mussten diese beiden Bücher nachträglich zeitweise wieder aus dem Handel entfernt werden. Am 13. Mai 2007 wurde die einstweilige Verfügung durch ein Urteil des Oberlandesgerichts Düsseldorf aufgehoben. Die Richter konnten nicht feststellen, dass die Kinder von Robert Arthur überhaupt im Besitz der Urheberrechte gewesen seien. Vielmehr sahen sie es als erwiesen an, dass die Universität Michigan rechtmäßiger Erbe an Robert Arthurs Werken und dessen Charaktere ist. Dadurch hätten die Erben keine Rechte an Sony BMG übertragen können. Der Klägerin Sony BMG wurde eine Frist gesetzt, die neue Rechtekette sowie sämtliche ihr zugrunde liegenden Verträge vorzulegen.

Schließlich kündigten Kosmos und Sony BMG an, neue Gespräche zu führen, um doch noch zu einer außergerichtlichen Einigung zu gelangen. Die Auslieferung der Folge 7 der Serie DiE DR3i wurde deshalb zunächst verschoben. Am 30. November 2007 erschienen dann die Folgen 7 und 8.

Outcome

Am 13. Februar 2008 vermeldete Sony BMG, dass sich Kosmos und Sony BMG geeinigt hätten, am Tag darauf erschien eine gemeinsame Pressemitteilung. Die den Hörspielen zugrunde liegenden Buch- und Marken-Rechte verbleiben wie bisher beim Kosmos-Verlag, der auch für sämtliche sonstigen Verlagserzeugnisse auf Basis der Reihe, darunter Kalender, Sachbücher, Handy- und Computerspiele, Experimentierkästen und Brettspiele verantwortlich zeichnet.

196 words

Translation: Serpent_s_tooth

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Lawsuit)

Because of this the two books had to be retroactively (afterwards?) taken off the market. This verdict was overturned by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on May 13th, 2007. The judges were unable to identify the children of Robert Arthur as rightful owners of the copyright law. Instead (Instead of that?) they found that the University of Michigan rightfully inherited the works of Robert Arthur and his characters, meaning that his heirs could not have transferred the rights to Sony BMG. A due date was set for the complainant of Sony BMG to submit the new chain-of-title as well as the new contracts as they were available to her. Eventually (Finally?) Kosmos and Sony BMG announced they would negotiate again to come to an extrajudicial agreement, causing the delivery of Episode 7 of The Thr33 (Ger.: DiE DR3i) to be delayed. The final release date of Episodes 7 and 8 was the 30th of November 2007.

Outcome

On February 13th, 2008 Sony BMG announced that they had come to an agreement with Kosmos, predating a joint press release on the following day. The rights to the books as well as the brand name, which were the foundation for the audio dramas remained with Kosmos as well as all other publishing products, including calendars, non-fiction literature, mobile and computer games, science kits and board games.

final version

Because of this the two books had to be taken off the market retroactively. This verdict was overturned by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on May 13th, 2007. The judges were unable to identify Robert Arthur's children as rightful owners of the copyright law. They found that the University of Michigan rightfully inherited the works of Robert Arthur and his characters, meaning that his heirs could not have transferred the rights to Sony BMG. A due date was set for the complainant of Sony BMG to submit the new chain-of-title as well as the new contracts as they were available to her. Eventually Kosmos and Sony BMG announced they would negotiate again to come to an extrajudicial agreement, causing the delivery of Episode 7 of DiE DR3i to be delayed. The final release date of Episodes 7 and 8 was the 30th of November 2007.

Outcome

On February 13th, 2008 Sony BMG announced that they had come to an agreement with Kosmos, predating a joint press release on the following day. The rights to the books as well as the brand name, which were the foundation for the audio dramas remained with Kosmos as well as all other publishing products, including calendars, non-fiction literature, mobile and computer games, science kits and board games.

Proofreading: BlueAhoi

User:Serpent_s_tooth - retroactively means afterwards, but felt more fitting for the context aka a lawsuit - same with the shortened instead - eventually is also a synonym for finally

Part 9

(cont. Copyright Dispute: Outcome)

Bei Europa verbleiben sämtliche Audionutzungsrechte unter Einschluss des gesamten Kataloges sowie Bühnen- und Theatershows und die Vermarktung von Merchandising-Lizenzen.

Seit dem 4. April 2008 erscheinen wieder neue Folgen unter dem Titel Die drei ???. Das Label bedient sich dabei erneut der Buchvorlagen vom Kosmos-Verlag. Außerdem wurde vereinbart, die Hörspiele der Serie DiE DR3i zum 1. Januar 2009 vom Markt zu nehmen. Auch die Weiterführung der sehr erfolgreich gestarteten Hörspielreihe Die drei ??? Kids ging an Europa über. Bis Ende 2008 vertrieb noch der bisherige Lizenznehmer USM die bereits veröffentlichten Folgen.

90 words

Translation: FlaschenLicht

The rights to use audio material with the inclusion of the entire catalogue as well as stage shows, plays and the commercialisation of merchandise remain with the record label Europa.

Since 4 April 2008, new German editions under the name “Die Drei ???” have been published (Tense?), based (again) on the books published by Kosmos. The rights to continue the hugely successful audio plays “Die Drei ??? Kids” was transferred to Europa as well. The already published audio play episodes were sold by the previous license holder USM until late 2008.

Furthermore, a withdrawal of the series DiE DR3i from sale until 1 January 2009 was agreed upon.

(NOTE: I consciously changed the sentence order, it made more sense to me to first have the changes and continuations and then the withdrawal.)

Proofreading: Chill2Day

final version

The rights to use audio material with the inclusion of the entire catalogue as well as stage shows, plays and the commercialisation of merchandise remain with the record label Europa.

Since 4 April 2008, new German editions under the name “Die Drei ???” have been published, based on the books published by Kosmos. The rights to continue the hugely successful audio plays “Die Drei ??? Kids” was transferred to Europa as well. The already published audio play episodes were sold by the previous license holder USM until late 2008.

Furthermore, a withdrawal of the series DiE DR3i from sale until 1 January 2009 was agreed upon

Part 10

Die drei ??? Kids

Seit dem Jahre 1999 soll der vom Kosmos-Verlag herausgegebene Ableger Die drei ??? Kids gezielt ein wesentlich jüngeres Publikum ansprechen. Die Inhalte der Geschichten sind kindgerechter und weniger komplex erzählt, zudem sind die Jungdetektive mit zehn Jahren deutlich jünger als in den aktuellen Folgen der Originalserie.

Die drei !!!

Nach dem Vorbild der drei ??? wurde 2006 unter dem Titel Die drei !!! vom Franckh-Kosmos-Verlag eine Detektivserie speziell für Mädchen ins Leben gerufen. Die Buchserie enthält nach ähnlichem Muster wie die Vorbildreihe Geschichten um ein jugendliches Detektivtrio, das sich diesmal jedoch aus drei Mädchen zusammensetzt; die Geschichten spielen in einer deutschen Großstadt.

Trivia

Die im Jahre 2002 gegründete Musikgruppe Jupiter Jones benannte sich nach dem Originalnamen des ersten Detektivs, Jupiter Jones (im Deutschen Justus Jonas). Die Kölner Rockband Karpatenhund benannte sich nach einem Episodentitel. Auf dem Album „Bordsteinkantengeschichten“ von Muff Potter ist ein langer Schrei aus der Episode „Der schreiende Wecker“ zu hören. Das Intro und Outro des Albums „Alles auf Schwarz“ der Hamburger Rockband Montreal werden von Oliver Rohrbeck in der Rolle des Justus Jonas gesprochen, jedoch ohne Nennung eines Namens.

186 words

Translation: Chill2Day

Die drei ??? Kids

Since 1999, the spinoff “Die drei ??? Kids” issued by publisher Kosmos has (is supposed?) to target (address?) / was supposed to target a much younger audience the contents of the stories were thus tailored to be more suitable for children and less complex. Besides, with an age of only ten years the young detectives are considerably younger as in the current episodes of the original series.

Die drei !!!

In 2006, following the example of “Die drei ???” / The Three Investigators a detective series specifically for girls titled “Die drei !!!” was launched by publisher Franckh-Kosmos. In a similar way as the original, the book series contains stories about a teenage detective trio, only this time consisting of three girls; the stories take place in a big German city.

Trivia

The band Jupiter Jones, formed in 2002, named itself (themselves?) after the original name of the first detective Jupiter Jones (Justus Jonas in German). The rock band Karpatenhund from Cologne named themselves ! after a title of one episode. On the album “Bordsteinkantengeschichten” of Muff Potter a long scream from the episode “Der schreiende Wecker” can be heard. The intro and outro of the album “Alles auf Schwarz” by the rock band Montreal from Hamburg are narrated by Oliver Rohrbeck in the role of Justus Jonas, but without mentioning a name.

Proofreading: whoever wants to

final version

Since 1999, the spinoff “Die drei ??? Kids” issued by publisher Kosmos has been supposed to target a much younger audience. The contents of the stories were thus tailored to be more suitable for children and to be less complex. Besides, with an age of only ten years the young detectives are considerably younger than in the current episodes of the original series.

Die drei !!!

In 2006, following the example of “Die drei ???” / The Three Investigators a detective series specifically for girls titled “Die drei !!!” was launched by publisher Franckh-Kosmos. In a similar way as the original, the book series contains stories about a teenage detective trio, only this time consisting of three girls; the stories take place in a big German city.

Trivia

The band Jupiter Jones, formed in 2002, named themselves after the original name of the first detective Jupiter Jones (Justus Jonas in German). The rock band Karpatenhund from Cologne named themselves after a title of one episode. On the album “Bordsteinkantengeschichten” of Muff Potter a long scream from the episode “Der schreiende Wecker” can be heard. The intro and outro of the album “Alles auf Schwarz” by the rock band Montreal from Hamburg are narrated by Oliver Rohrbeck in the role of Justus Jonas, but without mentioning Justus’s name.

Full Text (not ready for publishing!)

Publishing Halt in the USA

Hitchcock died in 1980 and Random House did not aim for a contract extension concerning license renewal afterwards. "The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar" was the thirty-first episode in the series and the first to not be published under the auspices of Hitchcock. The already published episodes of the series were then gradually revised and renewed - Hitchcock’s commenting remarks on the fictional events were cut and replaced. Hector Sebastian, a fictional detective and writer, took his place in the story instead. The first episode was the only exception - Reginald Clarke, a fictional film director, superseded Hitchcock’s character as the narrative required for a Hollywood-related film maker.

The Three Investigators were featured in four episodes of the Find-Your-Fate mystery book series between 1985 and 1987. These were gamebooks, allowing the reader to participate in the story and to help solve the case. Still, the original series was discontinued in the US in 1987 and replaced by a sequel, called "The Three Investigators Crimebusters". The publishers tried to live up to earlier success by raising the main characters’ age and introducing their girlfriends. Eleven more episodes followed, but failed in being as successful as the original. As a result, the sequel was discontinued in 1991 as well.

Three more books were written as part of the series, though they remained unpublished in the US: Original series volume 44 “The Mystery of the Ghost train” by M.V. Care (unfinished and unpublished), Crimebusters Episode 12 “Brain Wash” by Peter Lerangis and Episode 13 “High Strung” by G.H. Stone (both published in German in 2011).

Story

The Three Investigators are a junior detective team that initially came together because of a mental exercise club. They live in Rocky Beach, a fictional coastal town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Jupiter Jones, the "First Investigator", lives with his aunt Mathilda Jones and his uncle Titus Jones in a house on the edge of the city. His parents died when he was young. Although “An Ear for Danger” mentions a car accident as their cause of death, in the episode “...das leere Grab” (German only) they are said to have disappeared following a plane crash. The “headquarters” of the Three Investigators is at the edge of a junkyard belonging to Uncle Titus. It is a caravan with multiple secret exits, an office with a phone, a lab and a dark room. Many other utensils, such as for example a listening device or a periscope, are built by Jupiter using spare parts found in the junkyard.

Little information is given about Peter’s and Bob’s home. Depending on the case, Bob’s father is a sportswriter, economic journalist, or political journalist, which helps the Three Investigators in some of their cases. Peter’s father works as a film technician in special effects. During some of their cases, the boys are supported by Alfred Hitchcock, the chauffeur Worthington and the police inspectors Reynolds and Cotta.

“We Investigate Anything” is the Three Investigators' trademark slogan on their business card – comparable to James Bond’s well-known introduction “My name is Bond. James Bond.” Most often, Jupiter is the one to hand over their business card in a fitting moment to see the clients’ reactions to the three question marks. Often, that reaction is a joke, with the clients asking whether the question marks mean the investigators doubt their own abilities. Jupiter usually retorts something like: “That’s our symbol. […] The question marks stand for mysteries unsolved, riddles unanswered, puzzles of any kind. So we use it as our trademark. We investigate any kind of mystery.” [1]. To prove themselves, the Three Investigators usually have a lot of persuading to do in the beginning, as the clients often mistrust their abilities because the investigators are so young.

In the first few cases The Three Investigators hand over a letter of recommendation from the Police Department of Rocky Beach signed by Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds along with their business card. It says: "The holder of this badge is a junior volunteer assistant to the Police Department of Rocky Beach. The authority advocates any support from third parties." Eventually, the investigators stop showing their business card, something that was a common occurrence in earlier novels.

Authors

Between 1964 and 1990, Random House published a total of 56 books. After the discontinuation of the series in 1990, a German-speaking author team began writing new cases on behalf of the Franck Kosmos-Verlag in 1993. In 2011, three previously unpublished novels by the US authors Peter Lerangis, Megan and H. William Stine and G. H. Stone were published in Germany.

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

The series entitled "The Three Investigators“ by the American writer Robert Arthur was invented in the US in 1964. Arthur sold the international exploitation rights to the publishing house Random House. However, the copyright remained with him. The contract included the rights to publish books, films, comics and mechanical sound reproduction. Since there was no significant audiobook market at that time, it is not legally unambiguously determinable whether this "mechanical sound reproduction" describes the medium audiobook or radio play as it exists now. The Franck-Kosmos publisher of Random House acquired the German-speaking exploitation rights in 1968.

The label Europa received the rights to the audio version of the series as part of the sublicense partners of the Kosmos Verlag.

After the death of Robert Arthur in 1969', the copyrights were given to the University of Michigan'. In his testimony, Arthur declared that: ‘’all rights, legal titles and stakes, [he] owned by the time of [his] death, concerning all books, short stories, plays or published manuscripts, including all issued copyright claims, just as all rights for license fees and subsidiary rights, as it is specified in his contracts with publishers‘’ were to be given to the University of Michigan. This is said to mainly be for fiscal reasons, because legacies given to education establishments avoid inheritance taxes.

Since then, Random House has been paying royalties to the university, however, stopped doing so as of 1992, because it was not clear whether the University of Michigan still had a rightly entitlement. The American copyright act said that literature which received a copyright before 1977 had a safeguard clause, which made sure that all licenses automatically returned to the author or his heirs after 28 years. As a result of that, Random House and Arthur’s heirs, his children Elizabeth Ann Arthur and Robert Andrew Arthur, signed a contract for the rights of use of the volumes of Arthur and the further usage of the characters, under the condition that the 10 books were to be brought back onto the American market.

After the series was discontinued in the USA in 1991, Kosmos Verlag sought the rights to continue the series in Germany with German-language authors, and in 1994 signed a corresponding contract with Random House without the consent of Arthur's heirs.

In 2002, Random House returned the rights to the ten volumes to Robert Arthur's heirs after the publisher failed to comply with the agreed republications of the works. In 1999, however, Kosmos-Verlag had already registered the word mark Die drei ??? throughout Germany and in 2003 throughout Europe as a European trademark for audio carriers and printed products.

Negotiations between Kosmos Verlag and the heirs on a new usage rights agreement failed because Kosmos relied on its trademark registration and ongoing agreements with Random House. Furthermore, Kosmos doubted that Arthur's heirs were the right holders, since according to Arthur's will, all rights were to be transferred to the University of Michigan. At the end of 2004, Random House and Kosmos signed an extensive agreement to transfer all rights to the other American novels not written by Arthur to Kosmos Verlag.

Lawsuit

Due to the unclear legal situation, Europe decided at the beginning of 2005 not to publish any further episodes based on the book templates of Kosmos Verlag and discontinued the license payments to Kosmos.

At that time, the books “track that leads nowhere” (Spur ins Nichts) and “… and the Ghost Train (...und der Geisterzug)” were already fully recorded as a radio play.

In 2006, the parent company of the European label Sony Music Entertainment (formerly Sony BMG) finally gained all the German rights on Arthur's creations and the use of the original characters and showplaces independently from Kosmos publishing house of Robert Arthur's successors. The contract contained the right to order new books in German, as well as the right to evaluate the sound storage medium. Moreover, all were transferred: from" […] interests [of Arthur's children] in all German audio recordings, bound books, pocketbooks, theatrical performances and electronic film recordings of theatrical performances to all existing derived products in SonyBMG". Europe developed a new audio drama named "DiE DR3i" (The Three) based on it. Indeed Europe avoided the use of the name "Die Drei ???" (The Three ???) and also the name created by Kosmos because of the protection of the brand. Instead of that only characters’ original names which were based on Arthur’s ideas were used .

The Kosmos publishing house continued its series of books under well-known titles and with famous characters' names. The society filed an action against the Kosmos publishing house because Sony BMG itself saw its exploitation rights violated. A provisional disposal was obtained against the sale of two novels (Haunt in the net, as well as...(Spuk im Netz, sowie…) and the curse of the dragon (der Fluch des Drachen)).

Because of this, the two books had to be retroactively taken off the market. This verdict was overturned by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on May 13th, 2007. The judges were unable to identify the children of Robert Arthur as rightful owners of the copyright law. Instead they found that the University of Michigan rightfully inherited the works of Robert Arthur and his characters, meaning that his heirs could not have transferred the rights to Sony BMG. A due date was set for the complainant of Sony BMG to submit the new chain-of-title as well as the new contracts as they were available to her. Eventually Kosmos and Sony BMG announced they would negotiate again to come to an extrajudicial agreement, causing the delivery of Episode 7 of The Thr33 (Ger.: DiE DR3i) to be delayed. The final release date of Episodes 7 and 8 was the 30th of November 2007.

Outcome

On February 13th, 2008, Sony BMG announced that they had come to an agreement with Kosmos, predating a joint press release on the following day. The rights to the books as well as the brand name, which were the foundation for the audio dramas remained with Kosmos as well as all other publishing products, including calendars, non-fiction literature, mobile and computer games, science kits and board games.

The rights to use audio material with the inclusion of the entire catalogue as well as stage shows, plays and the commercialisation of merchandise remain with the record label Europa.

Since 4 April 2008, new German editions under the name “Die Drei ???” have been published (Tense?), based (again) on the books published by Kosmos. The rights to continue the hugely successful audio plays “Die Drei ??? Kids” was transferred to Europe as well. The already published audio play episodes were sold by the previous license holder USM until late 2008.

Furthermore, a withdrawal of the series DiE DR3i from sale until 1 January 2009 was agreed upon.

Die drei ??? Kids

Since 1999, the spinoff “Die drei ??? Kids”, issued by publisher Kosmos, addresses a much younger audience. Because of this, the contents of the stories had to be tailored to be more suitable for children and were made less complex. Additionally, with an age of only ten years, the young detectives are considerably younger as the investigators of the original series.

Die drei !!!

In 2006, following the example of “Die drei ???” / “The Three Investigators”, a detective series specifically for girls titled “Die drei !!!” was launched by publisher Franck-Kosmos. Similar to the original, the book series contains stories about a teenage detective trio, only this time consisting of three girls; the stories take place in a big German city.

Trivia

The band Jupiter Jones, formed in 2002, named itself after the original name of the “First Investigator” Jupiter Jones (Justus Jonas in German). The rock band Karpatenhund from Cologne named themselves after a title of one episode. On the album “Bordsteinkantengeschichten” by Muff Potter, a long scream from the episode “The Mystery of the Screaming Clock” can be heard. The intro and outro of the album “Alles auf Schwarz” by the rock band Montreal from Hamburg are narrated by Oliver Rohrbeck in the role of Jupiter Jones, but without mentioning a name.

COMMENT SECTION

• In the first paragraph I'd include When before Hitchcock died (...) because otherwise it seems like such an abrupt start to a segment I agree, but I would then formulate it as following: "When Hitchcock died in 1980, Random House [...]"
• I would also add a for example before or after the remark about Hitchcock's commentary that was removed from the audio plays after his death. I agree with that as well
• in the following sentence I would formulate it differently with began writing under the commission of (...) Verlag because began writing on behalf of sounds like they are writing because the publisher isn't doing so well and they're writing someone else to ask them for help or something like that
• the verb entitled can be left out, since the active follows later, it's enough to say the series (...) was invented by (...). Yes, I would also change the word order in that sentence: "The series The Three Investigators was invented by the American author Robert Arthur in 1964 in the US."
• audiobooks are called audio plays in English. Yes and no. You can say audio play, but audio book is just as fine. We should just be consistent with the term throughout the text.
• word mark seems like an odd formulation and I cannot place what is meant at that part. In the German text, it's Wortmarke, but I don't really know what that means.
• since April... the tense order is correct since the have been signals a process that has been ongoing but finished and based on a one time past event as is the case in taking inspiration from something and then starting an ongoing book series
• fixed some minor spelling issues. Thank you.
• I think the text reads mostly fluently, with the exception of minor issues such as the ones above

• Instead of gamebooks in the 2nd paragraph, interactive books might fit better.
• In paragraph 11, I think it would sound better if we wrote "After Robert Arthur's death in 1969, [...].
• "German-language authors" in paragraph 13 can be changed to just "German authors".
• In paragraph 14, it might sound better if it was "and by 2003 throughout Europe as well [...]".
• In paragraph 17, the titles of the books: "the books “track that leads nowhere” (Spur ins Nichts) and “… and the Ghost Train (...und der Geisterzug)” were already fully recorded as a radio play" should not be translated into English, because they only exist in German. Just "Spur ins Nichts" (German only) would suffice. Also, radio play should be changed to audio book.
• -> (Haunt in the net, as well as...(Spuk im Netz, sowie…) and the curse of the dragon (der Fluch des Drachen)). see what I said above.
• In paragraph 20, Robert Arthur's children would be more concise than the children of Robert Arthur.
• In the same paragraph, Die DR3i doesn't need to be translated, as it is a trade mark.
• Paragraph 21, audio drama or audio book? we need to make sure we only use one term.
• Paragraph 25: Since 1999, the spinoff “Die drei ??? Kids”, issued by publisher Kosmos, addresses a much younger audience This doesn't really makes sense grammatically, in my opinion. Maybe: The spin off series "Die Drei ??? Kids", issued by Kosmos in 1999, addresses a much younger audience.
• Same paragraph, instead of Additionally, with an age of only ten years, [...], I think Additionally, being only ten years old, [...] would sound better.

Hope this helped! Serpent s tooth (talk) 15:51, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Bold text: FlaschenLicht 11 June 2018

Complete text (with all comments taken into consideration)

Publishing Halt in the US

When Hitchcock passed away in 1980, Random House did not aim for a contract extension concerning license renewal. "The Mystery of the Scar-Faced Beggar" was the thirty-first episode in the series and the first to not be published under the auspices of Hitchcock. The already published episodes of the series were then gradually revised and renewed - for example, Hitchcock’s commenting remarks on the fictional events were cut and replaced. Hector Sebastian, a fictional detective and writer, took his place in the story instead. The first episode was the only exception - Reginald Clarke, a fictional film director, superseded Hitchcock’s character as the narrative required for a Hollywood-related filmmaker.

The Three Investigators were featured in four episodes of the Find-Your-Fate mystery book series between 1985 and 1987. These were interactive books, allowing the reader to participate in the story and to help solve the case. Still, the original series was discontinued in the US in 1987 and replaced by a sequel, called "The Three Investigators Crimebusters". The publishers tried to live up to earlier success by raising the main characters’ age and introducing their girlfriends. Eleven more episodes followed but failed in being as successful as the original. As a result, the sequel was discontinued in 1991 as well.

Three more books were written as part of the series, though they remained unpublished in the US: Original series volume 44 “The Mystery of the Ghost train” by M.V. Care (unfinished and unpublished), Crimebusters Episode 12 “Brain Wash” by Peter Lerangis and Episode 13 “High Strung” by G.H. Stone (both published in German in 2011).

Story

The Three Investigators are a junior detective team that initially came together because of a mental exercise club. They live in Rocky Beach, a fictional coastal town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Jupiter Jones, the "First Investigator", lives with his aunt Mathilda Jones and his uncle Titus Jones in a house on the edge of the city. His parents died when he was young. Although “An Ear for Danger” mentions a car accident as their cause of death, in the episode “...das leere Grab” (German only) they are said to have disappeared following a plane crash. The “headquarters” of the Three Investigators are at the edge of a junkyard belonging to Uncle Titus. It is a caravan with multiple secret exits, an office with a phone, a lab, and a dark room. Many other utensils, such as for example a listening device or a periscope, are built by Jupiter using spare parts found in the junkyard.

Little information is given about Peter’s and Bob’s home. Depending on the case, Bob’s father is a sportswriter, economic journalist, or political journalist, which helps the Three Investigators in some of their cases. Peter’s father works as a film technician in special effects. During some of their cases, the boys are supported by Alfred Hitchcock, the chauffeur Worthington and the police inspectors Reynolds and Cotta.

“We Investigate Anything” is The Three Investigators' trademark slogan on their business card – comparable to James Bond’s well-known introduction “My name is Bond. James Bond.” Most often, Jupiter is the one to hand over the card in a fitting moment to see the clients’ reactions to the three question marks. Often, that reaction is a joke, with the clients asking whether the question marks mean the investigators doubt their own abilities. Jupiter usually retorts something like: “That’s our symbol. […] The question marks stand for mysteries unsolved, riddles unanswered, puzzles of any kind. So we use it as our trademark. We investigate any kind of mystery.” [1].

To prove themselves, The Three Investigators usually have a lot of persuading to do in the beginning, as the clients often mistrust their abilities because the investigators are so young.

In their first cases, The Three Investigators also provide, apart from their business card, a letter of recommendation from the Police Department of Rocky Beach signed by Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds. It says: "The holder of this badge is a junior volunteer assistant to the Police Department of Rocky Beach. The authority advocates any support from third parties." Even the business card is no longer shown as in the initial stories.

Authors

Between 1964 and 1990, Random House published a total of 56 books. After the discontinuation of the series in 1990, a German author team began writing new books under the commission of the Franck Kosmos publishing house in 1993. In 2011, three previously unpublished novels by the US authors Peter Lerangis, Megan and H. William Stine and G. H. Stone were published in Germany.

Copyright Dispute: Initial Position

The series was invented by the American writer Robert Arthur in the US in 1964. Arthur sold the international exploitation rights to the publishing house Random House. However, the copyright remained with him. The contract included the rights to publish books, films, comics and mechanical sound reproduction. Since there was no significant audio book market at that time, it is legally not clearly determinable and therefore doubtful whether this "mechanical sound reproduction" describes the medium of audio books or radio plays as they exist now. The Franck-Kosmos publisher of Random House acquired the German-speaking exploitation rights in 1968. The label Europa received the rights to the audio version of the series as part of the sublicense partners of the Kosmos Verlag.

After Robert Arthur's death in 1969, the copyrights were given to the University of Michigan. In his testimony Arthur declared that: "all rights, legal titles and stakes, [he] owned by the time of [his] death, concerning all published books, short stories, plays or unpublished manuscripts, including all issued copyright claims, just as all rights for license fees and subsidiary rights, as it is specified in his contracts with publishers" were to be given to the University of Michigan. This is said to mainly be for fiscal reasons because legacies given to education establishments avoid inheritance taxes.

Since then Random House has been paying royalties to the university, however, stopped doing so as of 1992, because it was not clear whether the University of Michigan still had a legal entitlement. The American copyright act said that literature, which received a copyright before 1977, had a safeguard clause, which made sure, that all licenses automatically returned to the author or his heirs after 28 years. As a result of that, Random House and Arthur’s heirs, his children Elizabeth Ann Arthur and Robert Andrew Arthur, signed a contract for the rights of use of the volumes of Arthur and the further usage of the characters, under the condition that the 10 books were to be brought back onto the American market.

After the series was discontinued in the USA in 1991, Kosmos Verlag sought the rights to continue the series in Germany with German authors, and in 1994 signed a corresponding contract with Random House without the consent of Arthur's heirs.

In 2002, Robert Arthur of Random House returned the rights to the ten volumes to Robert Arthur's heirs after the publisher failed to comply with the agreed republications of the works. In 1999, however, Kosmos-Verlag had already registered the word mark "Die Drei ???" throughout Germany and by 2003 throughout Europe as well as a European trademark for audio carriers and printed products.

Negotiations between Kosmos Verlag and the heirs on a new usage rights agreement failed because Kosmos relied on its trademark registration and ongoing agreements with Random House. Furthermore, Kosmos doubted that Arthur's heirs were the right holders since according to Arthur's will, all rights were to be transferred to the University of Michigan. At the end of 2004, Random House and Kosmos signed an extensive agreement to transfer all rights to the other American novels not written by Arthur to Kosmos Verlag.

Lawsuit

Due to the unclear legal situation, Europa decided at the beginning of 2005 not to publish any further episodes based on the book templates of Kosmos Verlag and discontinued the license payments to Kosmos. At that time the books “Spur ins Nichts” and “...und der Geisterzug” (both German only) had already been recorded as an audio book.

In 2006 the parent company of the European label Sony Music Entertainment (formerly Sony BMG) finally gained all the German rights on Arthur's creations and the use of the original characters and showplaces independently from Kosmos publishing house of Robert Arthur's successors. The contract contained the right to order new books in German, as well as the right to evaluate the sound storage medium. Moreover, all were transferred: from "[…] interests [of Arthur's children] in all German audio recordings, bound books, pocketbooks, theatrical performances and electronic film recordings of theatrical performances to all existing derived products in SonyBMG". Europa developed a new audio book named "DiE DR3i" based on it. Indeed Europa avoided the use of the name "Die Drei ???" and also the name created by Kosmos because of the protection of the brand. Instead of that only characters and names which were based on Arthur’s ideas were used (characters’ original names).

The Kosmos publishing house continued its series of books under well-known titles and with famous character’s names. The society filed a lawsuit against the Kosmos publishing house because Sony BMG itself saw its exploitation rights violated. A provisional disposal was obtained against the sale of two novels “Spuk im Netz” and “Der Fluch des Drachen” (both German only).

Because of this, the two books had to be taken off the market retroactively. This verdict was overturned by the Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on May 13th, 2007. The judges were unable to identify Robert Arthur's children as the rightful owners of the copyright law. They found that the University of Michigan rightfully inherited the works of Robert Arthur and his characters, meaning that his heirs could not have transferred the rights to Sony BMG. A due date was set for the complainant of Sony BMG to submit the new chain-of-title as well as the new contracts as they were available to her. Eventually, Kosmos and Sony BMG announced they would negotiate again to come to an extrajudicial agreement, causing the delivery of Episode 7 of "DiE DR3i" to be delayed. The final release date of Episodes 7 and 8 was the 30th of November 2007.

Outcome

On February 13th, 2008 Sony BMG announced that they had come to an agreement with Kosmos, predating a joint press release on the following day. The rights to the books as well as the brand name, which were the foundation for the audio dramas remained with Kosmos as well as all other publishing products, including calendars, non-fiction literature, mobile and computer games, science kits and board games.

The rights to use audio material with the inclusion of the entire catalog as well as stage shows, plays and the commercialization of merchandise remain with the record label Europa.

Since 4 April 2008, new German editions under the name “Die Drei ???” have been published, based on the books published by Kosmos. The rights to continue the hugely successful audio plays “Die Drei ??? Kids” was transferred to Europa as well. The already published audio play episodes were sold by the previous license holder USM until late 2008. Furthermore, a withdrawal of the series "DiE DR3i" from sale until 1 January 2009 was agreed upon.

Since 1999, the spin-off series “Die Drei ??? Kids”, issued by publisher Kosmos, has been supposed to target a much younger audience. The contents of the stories were thus tailored to be more suitable for children and to be less complex. Besides, with an age of only ten years, the young detectives are considerably younger than in the current episodes of the original series.

Die Drei !!!

In 2006, following the example of “Die drei ???” / "The Three Investigators", a detective series specifically for girls titled “Die Drei !!!” was launched by publisher Franckh-Kosmos. In a similar way as the original, the book series contains stories about a teenage detective trio, only this time consisting of three girls; the stories take place in a big German city.

Trivia

The band Jupiter Jones, formed in 2002, named themselves after the original name of the first detective Jupiter Jones (Justus Jonas in German). The rock band Karpatenhund from Cologne named themselves after a title of one episode. On the album “Bordsteinkantengeschichten” of Muff Potter, a long scream from the episode “Der schreiende Wecker” can be heard. The intro and outro of the album “Alles auf Schwarz” by the rock band Montreal from Hamburg are narrated by Oliver Rohrbeck in the role of Justus Jonas, but without mentioning Justus’s name.