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Originally Posted by Sil_liS
How long is the copyright in this case? Is it corporation-length, or author-length. This is the best way to see who has the copyright.
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No, the best way is to read the contracts.
The "Godfather" materials are not considered works-for-hire. Puzo wrote
The Godfather novel first, and
then sold all the rights to the book, sequels, and all the characters to Paramount.
When the copyright term on the book expires, copyright on that particular book goes into public domain, not the estate.
One feature of US copyright law allows the content creator or their successors to reclaim the copyright after 35-40 years. However, that only applies to works created after 1978.
The Godfather was written in 1971 or 1972, so that doesn't apply.