Can you guess at what year things drop out of copyright?

[andrewducker]

(click to embiggen)

I thought you might be able to.

From this rather interesting article.

via Tony Finch's Link Log, which is the source of many awesome links, some of which may look familliar to readers of this journal.

Comments

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

I like the graph but sort of reject the example he uses.

There is a complete exception to copyright laws for satire so if someone wanted to make Good By, Mr. Chips with werewolves they could totally do so if they wanted.

[andrewducker]

In some countries there is, in many countries there isn't. And I would question whether you'd be able to copy the book in its entirety, adding in werewolves, and claim that it was sufficiently different so as to be satire.

So you can get away with Bored Of The Rings because it's not simply the original text with bits added, but a different book that's clearly based on the original story with silly bits in. Pride & Prejudice & Zombies contains all of the original words of the book in it, and I don't think you'd get away with that.

[bart-calendar.livejournal.com]

That just means that the satirist has to work harder - not that Mr. Chips - Werewolf Hunter could not exist.

[fanf]

It gets interesting when those living off the work of dead authors start using trademark law to extend the scope of copyright law - eliminating time limits and parody exemptions. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120228/18543417906/edgar-rice-burroughs-inc-using-trademark-law-to-prevent-use-public-domain-stories.shtml

I also enjoy Andrew's links in return :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I wonder if we could cut a devil's deal with Disney where they keep the copyright to Micky Mouse, but everything else comes out of copyright at the same rate it used to. That's would be kind of blatant (I don't think it would ever happen because both sides are too interested in pretending that there's a objective value for copyright expiration), but possibly better than the current mess.

[undeadbydawn.livejournal.com]

this is another fine case where I wonder if I'm just too tired [which I near certainly am]:

I do not know what this post / chart means.

[lpetrazickis.livejournal.com]

The copyright period (life of author + 70 years) coupled with various economic disincentives prevents the republication of books published after 192x. If it wasn't a bestseller, it's cheaper to not reprint than to bother with tracking down whoever owns the rights these days.