It's very complicated taking about copyright lengths in hypothetical cases unless you specify very clearly when the hypothetical case takes place.
A work published
today, one year after an author dies will have 69 years copyright.
Before the 1988 act, copyright in the UK was only lifetime+50 anyway, so the 50 years after publication was always longer.
A work published
today, 71 years after the author's death won't come out of copyright until 2040.
a work published in
2040, 71 years after the author's death will be instantly in the public domain - indeed, an unpublished work 71 years after the author's death will be in the public domain. Unless, of course, the law is changed in the next 31 years!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jellby
I think it would be more logical to have a combination of both rules. Does anyone know how it is in Canada or the rest of the European Union?
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PLEASE don't suggest extending copyright any more! And since "publication" now is getting harder to pin down, it seems a less useful way of deciding when something should be covered by copyright.