In a message dated 9/2/00 8:35:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
anthony.dauer@erols.com writes:
> Depending on the year of death and the country, a
writer's work won't be in
> the public domain until 50 or 75 years after
death.
In the U.S. the copyright term is now life of the author plus
70 years, 95 years for works made for hire. However, that's a
relatively recent change. For a long time the duration of
copyright was 26 years, renewable for another 26. However if
someone failed to renew for the second period, or their
combined 52 years lapsed before the term was increased, the
work would be in the public domain. If an author created a
work under the old 26 + 26 rules and still held the copyright
when thegeneral copyright duration was increased to the
life-based criteria, they would get grandfathered in. But if
their rights lapsed, they lapsed.
A lot of greatold Tin Pan Alley-type songs are about to enter
the public domain, too.
Not sure on the specifics of Paul Cain's situation, though,
based on the above criteria someone might be able to fill us
in.
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