In article ,
Hal Rosser wrote:

So, you're saying that anyone could republish a book like "Moby Dick"
and sell it as their own since it was published before 1923 ?
I'm no lawyer, but I believe copyright live on. Patents expire.

Your belief is mistaken. Copyrights expire. They always have (under
U.S. law). The duration of copyright varies, reflecting changes in
the law.

Get the details (at least as far as U.S. law is concerned) at the
Federal Government's copyright-office web site:

http://www.copyright.gov/

If a work was originally created after 1/1/1978, its copyright applies
for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.

Works created prior to 1/1/78 were originally granted a copyright of
28 years, which could be renewed for an additional 28 years. The 1976
Copyright Act extended the duration of the renewal period to 47 years.
There are further complexities (many of them) as Congress has seen fit
to (some would say "has been bribed with large campaign contributions
to") further extent and expand copyright protection over the past few
years.

Works which were originally created prior to 1922 - i.e. more than 56
years prior to 1/1/78 - have falled into the public domain, as both
their original 28-year copyright, and a subsequent 28-year renewal
would have run out prior to the date on which the laws changed.

Many works created in the 1940s and 1950s have also fallen out of
copyright protection, as their original 28-year copyright terms were
not renewed. Automatic renewal of copyright didn't kick in until the
1990s.

[Disclaimer: I Am Not A Lawyer.]

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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