07-17-2009, 11:49 AM | #1 |
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Nancy Drew still in copyright?
While googling around I found a site with several of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books for download, among many others. Books like "Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock" which was the first one published in 1930. The site claims that all the titles are in public domain, but I think these books are a little too new (30s and 40s) to have hit PD just yet.
It's possible the copyrights were never renewed and the books have indeed moved into public domain, but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure? |
07-17-2009, 11:53 AM | #2 |
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No. All the Nancy Drew" books are still in copyright.
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07-17-2009, 11:57 AM | #3 |
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07-17-2009, 02:10 PM | #4 |
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Fictionwise has the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series in ereader, mobi and Microsoft reader formats if you want a legitimate ebook source.
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07-17-2009, 04:00 PM | #5 |
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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. |
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07-17-2009, 05:48 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
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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07-17-2009, 06:34 PM | #7 |
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Is the host/domain registrar in Cali, or the people who run the site? Often people use US companies to get their pages through, but they're for different regions.
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07-17-2009, 08:55 PM | #8 |
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07-17-2009, 08:58 PM | #9 | |
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Registrant State/Province:CA Registrant Country:US I'm assuming that means the servers are physically in the US and US copyright applies. Carl |
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07-18-2009, 01:05 AM | #10 |
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That's just the Domain Registrar (but typically, they are only used by people who they host for). Still, since it is likely the host as well, it could very well be argued that US copyright law would apply, regardless of where the site is intended for, even if it is meant for a country where they are public domain.
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07-18-2009, 04:34 AM | #11 |
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07-18-2009, 04:38 AM | #12 |
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You can see where the server physically is by doing a "tracert" to it. If the server is physically located in the US, then US copyright law is what applies, and any "Nancy Drew" or "Hardy Boys" books on it are not there legally.
Last edited by HarryT; 07-18-2009 at 04:46 AM. |
07-25-2009, 06:29 AM | #13 |
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If you can bear reading pbooks, Nancy Drew is usually easy to find at jumble sales, car boot (garage) sales etc for very little money.
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08-15-2009, 11:52 PM | #14 |
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I've been wondering about this too, and I don't think it's as simple as it appears.
Here's the thing: Starting in 1959, the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books were rewritten. Not just edited, actually rewritten, by different ghost writers than the originals. The U.S. Copyright Office's website shows no earlier date than 1959 for the first in the Nancy Drew series, "The Secret of the Old Clock," or the first Hardy Boys book, "The Tower Treasure." However, these are new works by a different author, retaining only the plot and characters of the 1930 edition. Both say, "New Matter: revision." So the question is, are these pre-1959 versions of the books out of copyright? |
08-16-2009, 12:58 AM | #15 |
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Wikipedia have an extensive article about the ghostwriting. Apparently, they all were from the beginning. Later, as zip says, they were rewritten in accordance with changing culture. Not sure if the earlier versions even exist.
Maybe someone knows? (How would Nancy solve this?) |
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