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Why the life span is not decisive in this case of copyright?
The Works of Aristotle were finished in 1952. According to the Wikisources the parts written by E. M. Edghill will be free already in 2023. She died in 1964. It seems like the durration of copyright is not counted from her death but from the finishing of the whole work. How it is possible? Could she possibly gave the right to benefit financially from her work to someone else sooner? Thanks in advance!
Michael, your answer is thorough and informative but unfortunately you have paid a little attention to my question. The year 2023 offer the Wikisources it is not the life span of E. M. Edghill and 70 years. Thank you very much for your useful answer.
2 Answers
- MorningfoxLv 76 months agoFavourite answer
Yes, copyrights can be and are given away or sold. Mostly, for stuff since 1978, copyright lasts for the life of the author PLUS 70 years. For something from 1952, I think the term is 95 years from publication, if the copyright was renewed in 1980. UK law might differ.
- ?Lv 76 months ago
I presume that you live in a country with a "life + 70 year" copyright duration such as the UK or most other European countries if you believe the parts written by E.M. Edghill will enter the public domain in 2023. I would just note however that in many countries, the copyright on a work with multiple co-authors expires when the final surviving co-author dies. A book with multiple contributors is likely to be considered a jointly authored work for legal purposes. You would need to consult the relevant law in your country (and you didn't specify where you live) to confirm this.
By the way, American law gives works published prior to 1978 a flat 95 years of copyright protection, though due to a failure to renew copyright after 28 years, some works published between 1925 and the early 1960s have already entered the public domain. So if The Works of Aristotle is still under American copyright protection, it will not enter the public domain in the U.S. until 2048 (96 years after publication).
