P3D Re: Realist advertising

["Greg Wageman" <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Tom Martin <tlmartin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>


>To answer a very complicated question quickly, most of the copyrights
of
>the ads from the '40s have expired, most of the copyrights on the ads
>from the '50s are still valid.

The other points in Tom's post notwithstanding, this is bad advice.  The
current copyright situation is a very twisty road indeed, but copyrights
as old as those from the 1920's are potentially still valid and
enforceable.

Properly registered copyrights were originally valid for a term of 26
years, and could be extended for a second term of 26 years.  The rewrite
of the Copyright Law in 1976 "grandfathered in" any currently-valid
copyrights to the new term of "life of the author, plus 50 years" for
works copyrighted by an individual.  (The current term is "life of the
author plus 75 years".)  "Works made for hire", such as many commercial
works like Keystone stereocards and Realist advertisements, would fall
under the "75 year" term (from registration or publication).
Regardless,  it is prudent to assume that anything produced in the '40s
still has a potentially valid copyright, unless you know for a fact (as
determined by a lawyer, which I am not) to be otherwise.

     -Greg W. (gjw@xxxxxxxxxx)