Q. I am wondering if books that have been out of print for over 100 years still have a copyright (in the USA). Also wondering if they can be republished without "rights" to the book. If not, please provide details on the actual U.S. copyright law pertaining to this.
Answer
"Any book published anywhere before 1923 is in the public domain in the U.S. This is the rule we use most." (Gutenberg)
"Books can be released into the public domain by the owners of their copyrights."
"Some books published without a copyright notice in the U.S. prior to March 1st, 1989 are in the public domain."
"Some books published before 1964, and whose copyright was not renewed, are in the public domain. "
"A book, or other copyrightable work, enters the public domain when its copyright lapses or when the copyright owner releases it to the public domain.
U.S. Government documents can never be copyrighted in the first place; they are "born" into the public domain.
There are certain other exceptional cases: for example, if a substantial number of copies were printed and distributed in the U.S. before March, 1989 without a copyright notice, and the work is of entirely American authorship, or was first published in the United States, the work is in the public domain in the U.S.
However, when some character or part of the work is also trademarked, as in the case of Tarzan, it may not be possible to release new works with that trademark, since trademark does not expire in the same way as copyright. If you propose to base new works on public domain material, you should investigate possible trademark issues first."
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Copyright_FAQ
http://www.copyright.gov/laws/
http://www.gutenberg.org
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:News
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutenberg_project
"Any book published anywhere before 1923 is in the public domain in the U.S. This is the rule we use most." (Gutenberg)
"Books can be released into the public domain by the owners of their copyrights."
"Some books published without a copyright notice in the U.S. prior to March 1st, 1989 are in the public domain."
"Some books published before 1964, and whose copyright was not renewed, are in the public domain. "
"A book, or other copyrightable work, enters the public domain when its copyright lapses or when the copyright owner releases it to the public domain.
U.S. Government documents can never be copyrighted in the first place; they are "born" into the public domain.
There are certain other exceptional cases: for example, if a substantial number of copies were printed and distributed in the U.S. before March, 1989 without a copyright notice, and the work is of entirely American authorship, or was first published in the United States, the work is in the public domain in the U.S.
However, when some character or part of the work is also trademarked, as in the case of Tarzan, it may not be possible to release new works with that trademark, since trademark does not expire in the same way as copyright. If you propose to base new works on public domain material, you should investigate possible trademark issues first."
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Copyright_FAQ
http://www.copyright.gov/laws/
http://www.gutenberg.org
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:News
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutenberg_project
Ancient books; (of the 14th through 19th centuries) and the reprintings of them?
Paul
When an old or ancient book begins to fall apart because of time and use; who reworked them (back then) and kept them in shape? "Who" (meaning and individual or country) was doing the work? Where were reprinting(s) being done of an important work(s)? Who first started reprintgings. Who was or were the first to lead the way in this effort? What Year?
Thanks for any serious responce.
Ed
Answer
I think you have to narrow it down a bit, Ed. Before the advent of the printing press, the copying of books was done by hand. By "reworking" them, if you mean, re-binding and restoring them, that was done by masters of the copying and binding trades, part of the medieval skilled trades. Of course, books that were part of the religious libraries or monasteries and the courts of kings were copied and maintained by clerks (usually monks of particular orders, who spent their entire lives preserving the works of the Greeks and Romans, for example, and of course, scriptures.
But, with the rise of printing, these were specific artisans, who first used moveable type to mass-produce books that were heretofore too expensive or rare to be available except in specific monasteries and courts of European nobles.
If you want specific names and locations of this revolution here are several paragraphs about the history of printing:
" It is traditionally believed that Johannes Gutenberg, of the German city of Mainz, developed European printing technology around 1439 and in just over a decade, the classical age of printing began, but new research may indicate that it was a more complex evolutionary process spread over multiple locations. Also, Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer experimented with Guttenburg in Mainz. Genealogically, all modern movable type printing can be traced back to a single source, Gutenberg's printing press which he derived from the design of long known agricultural presses. East Asian style movable type printing, which was based on laborious manual rubbing and which had been scarcely used, practically died out after the introduction of European style printing in the 15th century.
Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction of an oil-based ink which was more durable than previously used water-based inks. . .
Gutenberg's invention of the printing press revolutionized communication and book production leading to the spread of knowledge. Rapidly, printing spread from Germany by emigrating German printers, but also by foreign apprentices returning home. A printing press was built in Venice in 1469, and by 1500 the city had 417 printers. In 1470 Johann Heynlin set up a printing press in Paris. In 1473 Kasper Straube published the Almanach cracoviense ad annum 1474 in Kraków. Dirk Martens set up a printing press in Aalst (Flanders) in 1473. He printed a book about the two lovers of Enea Piccolomini who became pope Pius II.In 1476 a printing press was set up in England by William Caxton. Belarusian Francysk Skaryna printed the first book in Slavic language on August 6, 1517. The Italian Juan Pablos set up an imported press in Mexico City in 1539. The first printing press in Southeast Asia was set up in the Philippines by the Spanish in 1593. Stephen Day was the first to build a printing press in North America at Massachusetts Bay in 1638, and helped establish the Cambridge Press..
Printing houses
Early printing houses (near the time of Gutenberg) were run by "master printers." These printers owned shops, selected and edited manuscripts, determined the sizes of print runs, sold the works they produced, raised capital and organized distribution. Some master printing houses became the cultural centre for literati such as Erasmus."
I think you have to narrow it down a bit, Ed. Before the advent of the printing press, the copying of books was done by hand. By "reworking" them, if you mean, re-binding and restoring them, that was done by masters of the copying and binding trades, part of the medieval skilled trades. Of course, books that were part of the religious libraries or monasteries and the courts of kings were copied and maintained by clerks (usually monks of particular orders, who spent their entire lives preserving the works of the Greeks and Romans, for example, and of course, scriptures.
But, with the rise of printing, these were specific artisans, who first used moveable type to mass-produce books that were heretofore too expensive or rare to be available except in specific monasteries and courts of European nobles.
If you want specific names and locations of this revolution here are several paragraphs about the history of printing:
" It is traditionally believed that Johannes Gutenberg, of the German city of Mainz, developed European printing technology around 1439 and in just over a decade, the classical age of printing began, but new research may indicate that it was a more complex evolutionary process spread over multiple locations. Also, Johann Fust and Peter Schöffer experimented with Guttenburg in Mainz. Genealogically, all modern movable type printing can be traced back to a single source, Gutenberg's printing press which he derived from the design of long known agricultural presses. East Asian style movable type printing, which was based on laborious manual rubbing and which had been scarcely used, practically died out after the introduction of European style printing in the 15th century.
Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction of an oil-based ink which was more durable than previously used water-based inks. . .
Gutenberg's invention of the printing press revolutionized communication and book production leading to the spread of knowledge. Rapidly, printing spread from Germany by emigrating German printers, but also by foreign apprentices returning home. A printing press was built in Venice in 1469, and by 1500 the city had 417 printers. In 1470 Johann Heynlin set up a printing press in Paris. In 1473 Kasper Straube published the Almanach cracoviense ad annum 1474 in Kraków. Dirk Martens set up a printing press in Aalst (Flanders) in 1473. He printed a book about the two lovers of Enea Piccolomini who became pope Pius II.In 1476 a printing press was set up in England by William Caxton. Belarusian Francysk Skaryna printed the first book in Slavic language on August 6, 1517. The Italian Juan Pablos set up an imported press in Mexico City in 1539. The first printing press in Southeast Asia was set up in the Philippines by the Spanish in 1593. Stephen Day was the first to build a printing press in North America at Massachusetts Bay in 1638, and helped establish the Cambridge Press..
Printing houses
Early printing houses (near the time of Gutenberg) were run by "master printers." These printers owned shops, selected and edited manuscripts, determined the sizes of print runs, sold the works they produced, raised capital and organized distribution. Some master printing houses became the cultural centre for literati such as Erasmus."
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