Horror James, M. R.: Ghost Stories of M.R. James (complete collect,illus). v2. 31 May 2016

[pynch]

There are no maybes for Mobileread hosting texts of authors who have been dead for more than 70 years: everything, and I mean everything, is permitted.

If someone publishes a newly found Shakespeare play tomorrow, it would be perfectly legal for Mobileread to host it that very same day.

[GrannyGrump]

But, on the third hand, there is this thread
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=274514
where I asked about re-instatement of certain offline books; and was told that the US publisher complained. So taken off, even though the author died in 1939.

I would like to avoid that kind of prickly situation.

[pynch]

I understand that you want to avoid that, and I understand and respect MR’s decision to avoid the hassle in this case.

But if we start to preemptively guess complaints of [enter expletive here] US lawyers, we can’t release anything here that was originally published after 1923.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

But, on the third hand, there is this thread
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=274514
where I asked about re-instatement of certain offline books; and was told that the US publisher complained. So taken off, even though the author died in 1939.

I would like to avoid that kind of prickly situation.

People complain when they think there's money in it.

Along the same lines, good luck finding a free electronic copy of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" in the US. It's quite thoroughly in the public domain, but the Mitchell Estate takes legal action against anyone trying to post one. They haven't a legal leg to stand on, but no one who might be inclined to do it wants to take the time and spend the money on legal fees to defend their right to do it. Want to issue the work here? Pay the Estate a fee...

(It is available from Project Gutenberg AU.)

For the sorts of stuff posted to the MR Library, I'd be astonished if anyone noticed, let alone complained. No money in it.

(BTW, sent you a PM about the above mentioned thread.)
______
Dennis

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Along the same lines, good luck finding a free electronic copy of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" in the US. It's quite thoroughly in the public domain, but the Mitchell Estate takes legal action against anyone trying to post one.

No, it's not in either the US or the "life+70" public domain, although it is in the public domain in countries such as Canada with a "life+50" copyright term. It will enter the "life+70" public domain on 1st Jan 2020, but will remain protected by copyright in the US for a long time to come. The Mitchell Estate are perfectly correct to take legal action against anyone attempting to make it available in the US!

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, it's not in either the US or the "life+70" public domain, although it is in the public domain in countries such as Canada with a "life+50" copyright term. It will enter the "life+70" public domain on 1st Jan 2020, but will remain protected by copyright in the US for a long time to come. The Mitchell Estate are perfectly correct to take legal action against anyone attempting to make it available in the US!

I sit corrected. I was thinking of publication date, but Mitchell died in 1949, and it's author's death date that governs, so it's not in the PD here.

Australia went to life+70 from life+50 not that long back, but stuff that had previously lapsed under the old rules was grandfathered, and did not suddenly come under copyright again.

Canada is still life+50, and will remain so if PG Canada has anything to say about it.
______
Dennis