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How to research a copyright?

by Rich Struck
9 replies
I have a book that I want to re-publish as an ebook. It is from 1924 so it just missed the pre-1923 cutoff. The US Copyright Office doesn't have anything prior to 1978 on their site. Does anyone know of an easy way to find out if this book lapsed into public domain or if it was renewed later on?
#copyright #research
  • Profile picture of the author LondonPaladin
    FAQ: How Can I Tell Whether a Book Can Go Online?

    From a quick Google search.
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  • Profile picture of the author Woody C
    I have a related question (but didn't want to open a similar thread):

    I am eyeing a book that was written in 1962, that I've been trying to figure out whether it was in the public domain. I noticed it had 3-4 different editions from different publishing companies. I found a "2010" edition of the book on Amazon and e-mailed the company asking if the book was in the public domain or if they had rights to publish and they responded saying it was in the public domain.

    With the original publishing date being 1962, would you trust the publishing company or research the actual copyright?
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
      Originally Posted by Rich Struck View Post

      Does anyone know of an easy way to find out if this book lapsed into public domain or if it was renewed later on?
      As others have said, there is no easy way.

      If I recall correctly, you can pay the Copyright Office to perform a search for you. The benefit, again if I recall correctly, is that, at the conclusion of the search, they'll send you a certificate or statement of findings. So, in the case that it is in the public domain, you have paperwork from the Copyright Office that confirms that. That way, should it ever be found that it wasn't in the public domain, you can demonstrate that you made a good faith effort and did due diligence to find out, which may help in a court of law.

      Originally Posted by Woody Crenshaw View Post

      With the original publishing date being 1962, would you trust the publishing company or research the actual copyright?
      If you publish the book, and it is not really in the public domain, arguing that so-and-so publishing company said that it was okay is probably not going to help you. As a publisher, you are responsible for what you publish. And, should you get sued, it's not likely that you'll be able to turn around and sue the company that misinformed you.

      Now, it could very well be that they are correct and that they wouldn't be re-publishing it if they hadn't researched it and found it to be in the public domain. But, on the other hand, you're the one on the hook if they're wrong. (Well, they would be too, but that doesn't help you.)
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  • Profile picture of the author mowens17
    Thanks for the info
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  • Profile picture of the author paulgl
    The original copyright would have expired at most, 75 years later, 1999.
    If the copyright was extended before then, it would be only 20 years on to that,
    2019. But as you know, only if the renewed it. Wait until 2019, and you're safe!
    (just kidding)

    As far as not trusting a book being in PD, do a search on amazon. If multiple
    copies/publishers/new editions show up, like Tom Sawyer, you can bet it's PD.

    Good luck with your search!

    Paul
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    If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.

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