----- Original Message -----
From Greg Newby <gbnewby@pglaf.org> Date Sat, 4 Mar 2006 13:45:33 -0800 To Project Gutenberg Volunteer Discussion <gutvol-d@lists.pglaf.org> Subject Re: [gutvol-d] Sweat of brow
Quaere; does "edition" or "typographical arrangement" copyright subsist in PG e-texts, in countries which recognize those types of copyright?
Short answer: we only try to follow US laws, and I'm unaware of anything like this provision in the US.
Yes, but even if there were, ***the copyright status of a PG work in another country*** is determined by the national law of that country, not of the US.
It might be this type of copyright (or whatever it might be called) would play a role in the EU and elsewhere...though in practice, if a physical book is old enough to be public domain based on author's death date, probably any typography copyright has also expired.
Yes, but that's missing the point of typographical or edition copyright: a new typographical arrangement or edition of the work, in that form, has a copyright attached to it. Not the work, the typographical arrangement or edition of it. PG is infringing neither the copyright in the work nor the copyright in the typographical arrangement; but the PG edition may have copyright status in a country that DOES recognize typographical arrangements or editions, subject to national treatment and shorter-term provisions in that country's national law.