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Old 07-24-2010, 09:46 PM   #1
banjobama
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Posts: 980
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Auburn, WA
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Question about copyright/public domain

I have a question about copyright.

I'd like to make some ebooks, mainly H.P. Lovecraft's fiction and Robert E. Howard's Conan/Kull stories. Both of these authors died over 70 years ago, and the length of copyright in the US is the author's life + 70 years, right? So in theory I should be able to compile the stories into ebooks for myself and others to enjoy for free.

I know there is more to it than this, since a couple of Agatha Christie's books are now public domain and she only died in 1976. I also try to use sites like Mobileread, Manybooks.net and PG as barometers of what's allowed and what isn't, since I know I'm not going to be the first one with an idea to make an ebook out of a paper book. Lovecraft has many stories in the public domain but Howard does not seem to.

How can you tell who holds the copyright for stories and how long it lasts? Is there some way to look up that information? I started making the Lovecraft book and worst case scenario I'll just keep it for myself but I'm having fun making it and I'd like to make more but I don't want to waste my time or cause trouble somehow.
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