Quote:
Originally Posted by recc
Checking the Stanford database, I found that the copyright was renewed on Hemingway's earlier works such as The Sun Also Rises, but there is no copyright renewal shown for The Old Man and the Sea (other than a study guide and an introduction).
Having checked these two sites, I am quite comfortable downloading a public domain version of this book from fadedpage, and believe that I am not violating US copyright rules. Certainly I may have missed some pertinent information somewhere, but I agree with Catlady that there is a limit to how much due diligence is reasonably expected of those of us who simply want to read a book.
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The pertinent information you're missing is the fact that "The Old Man and the Sea" was not originally published as a book, but as a serial in "Life" magazine in 1952, and thus its copyright renewal is not in the Stanford database, which only contains book copyright renewals. The renewal is, however, in the US Copyright Office database:
Quote:
Type of Work: Serial
Registration Number / Date:
RE0000052130 / 1980-01-22
Renewal registration for: B50000021683 / 1952-08-28
Title: The Old man and the sea. By Ernest Hemingway.
Appears in: Life, Sept. 1, 1952
Copyright Claimant:
Mary Hemingway (W)
Variant title: The Old man and the sea.
Names: Hemingway, Mary
Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961
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As you see, the copyright was renewed after 28 years, as required, by Hemingway's widow, Mary. The book is therefore protected by copyright in the US, although it is in the public domain in countries with a "life+50" copyright term.