How to find copyright info on WW2 book?

crankypants · 12-31-2015, 10:22 AM

Book: "The War in the Pacfic. Strategy and Command: The first Two Years." http://history.army.mil/catalog/pubs/5/5-1.html

I thought books created by the US Military and US gov't are public domain immediately, unless of course they are about something top secret.

It's not clear if this was created by the US military even though it is on US military sites. How do I confirm the copyright status of this book? I would like to convert it to EPUB but I don't want to take anyone's rights away to claim them as my own.

Thank you.

pdurrant · 12-31-2015, 11:02 AM

It's listed at the US Government Bookstore as being published by the Defense Department, author Louis Morton, published in 1962.

If it was a work for hire, it's a US government publication, and so in the public domain.
If it was copyright by the author, the copyright must have been renewed in 1990 or so to retain its copyright, and there's no renewal record at the US Copyright Office.

I think it's safe for you to produce an ePub version, although, of course, IANAL.

crankypants · 12-31-2015, 04:38 PM

> IANAL.

I'm not familiar with that abbreviation.

pdurrant · 12-31-2015, 04:41 PM

I Am Not A Lawyer

12-31-2015, 10:22 AM	#1
crankypants Hmm. Posts: 124 Karma: 2016606 Join Date: Oct 2015 Device: Android 4.2 Google Play Reader	How to find copyright info on WW2 book? Book: "The War in the Pacfic. Strategy and Command: The first Two Years." http://history.army.mil/catalog/pubs/5/5-1.html I thought books created by the US Military and US gov't are public domain immediately, unless of course they are about something top secret. It's not clear if this was created by the US military even though it is on US military sites. How do I confirm the copyright status of this book? I would like to convert it to EPUB but I don't want to take anyone's rights away to claim them as my own. Thank you. Last edited by crankypants; 12-31-2015 at 10:33 AM.

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12-31-2015, 11:02 AM	#2
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,668 Karma: 315126578 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	It's listed at the US Government Bookstore as being published by the Defense Department, author Louis Morton, published in 1962. If it was a work for hire, it's a US government publication, and so in the public domain. If it was copyright by the author, the copyright must have been renewed in 1990 or so to retain its copyright, and there's no renewal record at the US Copyright Office. I think it's safe for you to produce an ePub version, although, of course, IANAL.

12-31-2015, 04:38 PM	#3
crankypants Hmm. Posts: 124 Karma: 2016606 Join Date: Oct 2015 Device: Android 4.2 Google Play Reader	> IANAL. I'm not familiar with that abbreviation.

12-31-2015, 04:41 PM	#4
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,668 Karma: 315126578 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	I Am Not A Lawyer

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