(TFT) Copyright (was: What's AP)

[Michael S Kluskens <Michael_S_Kluskens@csgi.com>]

At 4:38 PM -0400 7/15/99, grabowski wrote:
> Here's another question for you legal eagles out there.  How long does a
> copyright last?

From the  December 1998 issue "Association of Professional 
Genealogists Quarterly", summarizing the question "When Does 
Copyright Protection Expire":

1) Public domain seventy years after the author dies if created after 
January 1, 1978 (published or unpublished).

2) Public domain after ninety-five years if it is a work made for 
hire after January 1, 1978.

And a bunch of special cases for work created and/or published before 
January 1, 1978.

Taking a look at a ITL I have on my bookcase, it says copyright 1980, 
so it might have been created before 1978.  Assuming it was written 
after Jan. 1, 1978 then public domain ~2073.

There is a small chance that some part of TFT falls in one of the 
special cases where it was created before Jan. 1, 1978 and published 
after that date then it might public domain in 2047, but again not 
very interesting.  The only interesting case is if something was 
published before January 1, 1978, then only 28 years if not renewed, 
so no later than 2006 (but if not renewed).

So basically forget about any part of TFT falling in the public 
domain (certainly not enough to be interesting), no one who cares 
will be alive or interested when it does.  [Of course this is not to 
be taken as legal advice, I am not a lawyer, I do not have a law 
degree, Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize 
a mistake when you make it again.]

Michael
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"