Jimmy Wales jwales@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.