The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #67840   Message #1136268
Posted By: Nigel Parsons
14-Mar-04 - 02:36 PM
Thread Name: Copyright laws on Kipling
Subject: RE: Copyright laws on Kipling
Contrary to the previous comment...

From This Site

Copyright protection is afforded a much longer period than a patent. If a work is copyright after 1977, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. Under the Copyright Extension Act, otherwise known as the Sunny Bono Copyright Extension Act, for works published before 1978 with existing copyrights as of the CTEA's effective date, the CTEA extends the term to 95 years from publication.
However, any work published in the United States before 1923 are now in the public domain (this includes, for instance, the works of Mark Twain).

Basically, Kiplings works are copyright (UK law) until 2006. After which time they are "Public Domain". However, the photocopying etc., can still fall within the publisher's copyright rulings. These give a publisher copyright over their particular lay-out etc., (especially important with music) for 25 years from publication.

CHEERS

Nigel