Subject: [gutvol-d] Canadian and American copyrights
From: Andrew Sly <[email-masked]>
To: Project Gutenberg Volunteer Discussion <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 00:46:29 -0800 (PST)

Re the recent discussion of various copyright regimes...

Yes, the U.S. was a hold-out through most of the 20th
century, avoiding the major convention (Berne) that
most other Western nations were party to.

But I would argue that if the U.S. did not have
its unique copyright history, then Project Gutenberg
would be rather a different thing today.

Neither American or Canadian copyright laws are
"better", they are just different. Each provides
its own problems for those wanting to utilize the
public domain.

In a life+N regime, it's a little odd if you
find yourself wishing someone had died earlier.

(Just today, I looked up the dates for a book I was
hoping would be public domain, only to find--the
author died in 1968. Darn.)

And you also have the uncertain situations. Here is
a description from the LoC of a title that have
availible, if I want it:

   LC Control Number: 32012123
   Type of Material: Text (Book, Microform, Electronic, etc.)
   Personal Name: Powell, Van. [from old catalog]
   Main Title: The mystery crash,
   Published/Created: New York, Chicago, A. L. Burt company [c1932]
   Description: 285 p. front. 19 cm.
   LC Classification: PZ7.P88 Sk no. 1

Is it PD in Canada under life+50? Who knows? I've done some
searching and cannot find any dates for the author.

Andrew