Thread: Nancy Drew still in copyright?
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Old 07-17-2009, 05:48 PM   #6
carld
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellmark View Post
1927 I believe is the magic number for it to be public domain in the US.

Is the site based in the US? Not all countries have the same laws on public domain, so Australia and a few others have stuff in public domain that aren't in the US.
The early books of the Nancy Drew series just miss that date. They'd be in PD if it weren't for the Sonny Bono Public Domain Theft Act, or whatever it was called.

According to WHOIS the site is registered in California. I'm guessing they just don't realize the books aren't PD, as the site is otherwise full of non-copyright titles. Also, checking Project Gutenberg turns up no Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys. I'm guessing if any had indeed fallen into the public domain they'd be found there.
Last edited by carld; 07-17-2009 at 08:55 PM.
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