Funny what the people selling that have to say - I'm sure Columbia would get a kick out of this. 
"Please be advised that the works presented on this DVD are in Public Domain. Content researched finding all copyrights expired or lapsed thru time or non renewal. Accordingly, the manufacturers of this dvd claim ownership and are legally authorized to replicate without permission or license."
Well, this is bogus— any Stooges fan
knows which shorts are in the public domain: "Disorder In The Court," "Sing A Song Of Six Pants," "Malice In The Palace," "Brideless Groom," and that's
it.This "disclaimer" reminds me of the fine print you'd find on the labels of the old bootleg LP's, years ago. It looked legit, but if you read it, it usually said something like: "All rights reversed, all wrongs reserved. Copied right, 1980."
I'd say that this eBay seller is courting a lawsuit (pun intended).
As to the Columbia-Sony DVD's not being readily available and/or not selling well, what did they expect? They used the cheapest possible graphics and packaging, left a key scene out of "Three Little Beers," wasted time and money colorizing classic black & white films, and if they're wondering why the product isn't selling, it's their own fault. Fools.
Recent DVD's of vintage entertainment I've bought include "The Honeymooners," "Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, the First Season," two volumes of "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx, and three of the four sets of Abbott & Costello features.
Every one of them has extras on the discs, extensive historical notes, and excellent graphic design and packaging.
The Pilsner Prize (TM) for best presentation, though, goes to "Looney Toons, Volumes One and Two." Warner Brothers went all out on these releases, and it shows.
That's quality!
As of right now, the closest we're going to get to something like that for the Stooges is Mackinac Media's expanded documentary, "Stooges: The Men Behind The Mayhem." I highly recommend it, and Columbia/Sony really ought to take note of how well it's put together, and maybe learn something.
But it's probably too late for that...
