book publishing profitable in 2014

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Once they enter PD, they cannot be brought back to copyright. It is not the longest duration (if multiple choices apply), but the shortest that makes the work enter PD. If they grant longer duration in the future, they have to grandfather the existing law into it that makes them enter PD sooner. Every change in copyright law in the US made it easier for work to enter PD sooner than it could have - e.g. by publishing it without copyright notice, by not re-registering copyright.

Actually, I believe that a number of books actually did enter into PD, then reverted back to US copyright. The best known example is J.R.R. Tolkien's works, including the LOTR. You might want to google copyright restoration.


I imagine that the point he is trying to make is that whenever Micky Mouse is about to go out of copyright, the copyright law gets modified to extend the copyright duration.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Actually, I believe that a number of books actually did enter into PD, then reverted back to US copyright. The best known example is J.R.R. Tolkien's works, including the LOTR. You might want to google copyright restoration.


I imagine that the point he is trying to make is that whenever Micky Mouse is about to go out of copyright, the copyright law gets modified to extend the copyright duration.

Ah I see now. We will see in four (?) years how the Mickey Mouse thing is going to turn out. He should have been more clear on the extend of the "infinite copyright" claim as it for sure does not apply to everything.