Jules Verne Forum

<jvf@Gilead.org.il>

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

More on copyrights for old books

From: Norm Wolcott <nwolcott~at~kreative.net>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 23:02:59 -0500
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

Books published in the US before 1923 are free of copyright. Prior to the
recent copyright extension law, the cutoff date moved up each year, as the
limit was 75 years. Now anything in copyright after about 1970 remains in
copyright for 125 or 150 years. There is one loophole, books copyright
after 1922 needed to have their copyright renewed after 28 years to be
eligible for the extension. However PG has not yet approved any books whose
copyright has not been renewed in this way, out of caution, as it is hard
to prove that something did not happen..

Books published abroad before 1923 involve treatys and face a more
complicated set of rules.
However if the book is over 100 years old I do not believe there is a
problem. The best thing is to document things and let PG's legal people
decide.

If there is no date and the book is obviously old, and if it is cited in a
reference book such as the JV Encyclopedia with a date and description,
that may be also used to authenticate the age of the publication. Also any
reprint of the copyright in the US without copyright indicia (before 1988)
would qualify under that rule as well. I have had success in clearing
Everyman editions republished in 1950 in England that originated in 1910.

The copyright extension act basically moved everything up to 125 or 150
years.

Internet Mail: nwolcott~at~post.harvard.edu -- this is a mail forwarding
address for messages lessthan 2 MB. For longer messages or attachments use
nwolcott~at~kreative.net -- the current ISP.
Received on Fri 18 Feb 2000 - 06:27:19 IST

JV.Gilead.org.il
Copyright © Zvi Har’El
$Date: 2009/02/01 22:36:11 $$