Quote:
Originally Posted by Fbone
I'm surprised more authors/publishers don't do this. Simply add a child or grandchild as co-author to extend the copyright.
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Well, it wouldn't automatically extend the copyright. Only the material that had been added by the child or grandchild would have the extended copyright. Once the copyright had expired on the original edition, anyone would be free to re-publish that. In just the same way that if you buy, let's say, a "Penguin Classics" edition of Dickens, only the modern introduction and notes are protected by copyright; the actual text of the book can be freely copied.
The issue in this specific case is that the claim is being made that Mr Frank had creative input
in the original published edition, so there is no earlier edition to compare it to. Whether or not that claim is valid would be something that a court would have to decide.