04-25-2009, 02:18 PM | #1 |
Wizard
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Does UK copyright apply to AUS sourced material?
George Orwell's works are still in copyright in the UK as he died less than 70 years ago. But they are out of copyright in Australia, where copyright is life + 50 years (Orwell died in 1950). If I obtain 1984 from Project Gutenberg in Australia, then reformat it, is it OK for me to post the result here?
The source comes from Australia. I'm in the UK. And the MR servers are in Canada. So which country's copyright laws apply? |
04-25-2009, 02:26 PM | #2 |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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04-25-2009, 02:28 PM | #3 |
sleepless reader
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For MR: Canada.
For You: UK. You would download a book which is obviously copyrighted in the UK and then share it. I can't recommend you to do that - even if it would be ok for MR itself. |
04-25-2009, 02:40 PM | #4 |
frumious Bandersnatch
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It would be legal for MR to host it, since it is out of copyright in Canada.
It won't be legal for you to upload it, if you are in the UK. But if you travel to Australia or Canada and upload it from there, then it's fine (I guess). |
04-25-2009, 02:43 PM | #5 |
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04-25-2009, 02:52 PM | #6 |
Wizard
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If I travel to Australia, download it there, reformat it and then upload from Australia, then I assume that would be OK?
But if I download it in the UK from the Australian server, reformat in the UK, then travel to Australia and upload it there--that would not be OK? Is it even legal for me to download it whilst in the UK? Is it legal for me to download it but not reformat it? It is a rather feeble reason to travel half way around the world. |
04-25-2009, 03:02 PM | #7 | ||
frumious Bandersnatch
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Quote:
Quote:
Downloading it when you are in the UK is, I believe, not legal. The rest would be legal. All of this is assuming this does not belong to "fair use" and whatnot. |
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04-25-2009, 04:14 PM | #8 | |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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You are infringing the copyright if you download it in the UK. You could be sued by the copyright holder for that infringement.
What you do with it after downloading it isn't relevant. Just downloading it while you're in the UK is illegal. But, I think, not criminally illegal, only a civil crime - the police won't come after you about it.* Quote:
*But IANAL. Don't blame me if you download it and the police break down your door five minuets later. :-) |
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04-25-2009, 05:03 PM | #9 |
Reader
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You may like to know that RWood has already uploaded a version of 1984:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11207 |
04-25-2009, 06:25 PM | #10 |
reader
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Also cbell posted a version: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43651. Books with year titles can be hard to find by a search.
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04-25-2009, 06:44 PM | #11 | ||
sleepless reader
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Quote:
Quote:
First we tell ShellShock that it might not be legal for him to download a version of 1984 and then you show him these great versions...just one click away... |
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04-25-2009, 07:29 PM | #12 |
Grand Sorcerer
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ShellShock, this is not just a problem in the UK. The US copyright laws are even weirder. For example, It is legal to upload James Branch Cabell's works in Canada, but only his pre 1923 works in the US. As a US citizen, I can only upload/download what would be legal in the US. However last year, I could not upload anything of James Branch Cabell to MobileRead (Canada) because he had not reached life + 50, even though the pre 1923 works were in the US public domain...
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05-07-2009, 02:47 PM | #13 |
Wizard
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I found out today that I will probably be travelling to Toronto on business in June. I assume once there I could download Orwell from the Canadian or Australian servers, do the reformatting and then upload to MR?
Global travel and the internet really makes a mockery of national copyrights. |
05-08-2009, 07:10 AM | #14 | |
frumious Bandersnatch
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However, intentionally travelling to another country in order to do something that is forbidden in your home country might be illegal in your country. Think of children prostitution, euthanasia or abortion... |
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05-08-2009, 09:45 AM | #15 | |
eBook Enthusiast
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Quote:
I think you'll find, though, that we already have pretty much all of Orwell's work in nicely-formatted versions. |
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