Jimmy Wales <jwales(a)bomis.com> writes:
Gareth Owen wrote:
Thanks a lot. He died in 1925, so if I
understand
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#hlc correctly, the very latest
it would be in copyright is last year, so they're fair game. Correct?
It seems hard to say, based on my reading of this thing.
It seems that "Public Law 105-298, enacted on October 27, 1998, further
extended the renewal term of copyrights still subsisting on that date by an
additional 20 years, providing for a renewal term of 67 years and a total
term of protection of 95 years."
So if it was published in 1908, then it seems that if the renewals were done
timely, there could be copyright protection until 2003.
If 1908 is the start date, 75 years of copyright lapsed in 1983 and Public Law
105-298 is irrelevant. If 1925 (authors death) is the start PL105-298 does
apply, and we can't use it till 2020.
Of course, Rouse-Ball was a Briton, saw it possible that the distinctions
between US and International copyright law are relevant.
--
Gareth Owen