[Wikipedia-l] Copyright question

[Gareth Owen]

Jimmy Wales <jwales at 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