When the UK moved for +50 to +70 on 1st January 1996, some works that had come out of copyright went right back into copyright. This included, for example, all of Kipling's works, which first came out of copyright on 1st January 1987, were in the public domain (in the UK) for nine years, and then went back into copyright on 1st January 1996 until they once again became public domain on 1st January 2007.
The justification was that the law was to harmonise with Europe, so works that were still in copyright anywhere in Europe came under copyright again in the UK for the new term.
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Originally Posted by Patricia
It is noticeable that when Austalia moved from a life+50 years to a life+70 years copyright law, all works that had been PD all stayed PD, so as to avoid retrospective legislation.
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