Copyright renewals for books published between 1923 and 1963

[zeppelfahrt]

I got this email this morning. Is anyone out there familiar with this renewal policy? Are there any potential traps here? If I'm reading this correctly, there could be a wealth of untapped material out there for us to abuse.

Thanks,
-Scott Danneker

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Scott:

Our investigations show that there is no renewal record for this work in the Stanford Renewal database (http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals). Renewal was a requirement of U.S. law for works published from 1923-1963. This book was published in 1931, and not renewed, so it has entered the public domain here.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Dan
Daniel Mack
dmack@umd.edu

Description:

id: HathiTrust.org
comments: I would like to read the following work on Librivox: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015011137414
However, approval for this project is being reserved because it is published after 1923 and does not appear in Project Gutenberg. Could you please tell me how you determined that this book is in the public domain, and how can evidence supporting this fact be located. Thank You - Scott Danneker
return: http://www.hathitrust.org/
User: not authenticated
Referer: Same as 'return'
HathiTrust Server: 134.68.125.206

Ticket Details
========================
Summary: HathiTrust Catalog Feedback
URL: https://wush.net/jira/hathitrust/browse/HTS-104610
Project: HathiTrust User Support

[TriciaG]

Yes, we know about that. That's how the post-1922 works in the catalog already were deemed PD.

HOWEVER, the Stanford Renewal Database is not the be-all, end-all authority on copyright renewal. They are very murky waters. Where was the work originally published (i.e. which country)? If in another country, was it published in the US within 30 days? If it was published in a magazine, did the magazine itself get a copyright renewal on it? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Therefore, we do not simply say, "Oh! It isn't in the Stanford Renewal Database! Let's record it!" We follow a policy that if it can get Gutenberg.org copyright clearance, then we can record it. Gutenberg has a well-established system for determining copyright status, and has access to lawyers as well. So we trust them.

Here's our info on what texts we can use: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Copyright_and_Public_Domain#Determining_Public_Domain_Status

[zeppelfahrt]

Thanks Tricia, I'll check the link