Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
Doesn't work on obscure authors, or authors with common names, or pseudonyms. How does one determine if the Bruce Elliot who was the author of "Magic as a Hobby" in 1958 is alive today?
Tying copyright to the author's life requires that people track down personal information about the author which may not be available. What if Bruce Elliot was actually Brenda Elliot, but the publishers were convinced that a magic-trick books with a female author's name wouldn't sell?
What if the book was a reprint of something originally published in 1937, and Mr Elliot died in 1940? How far, and in what countries, should one be required to check for the author's biography?
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I accept what you say, but I still maintain that determining whether an author is alive or dead is generally much simpler than having to consult copyright registration records for each and every separate work produced by the author.