Timeline for When does the copyright on Isaac Asimov's works expire?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Oct 29, 2018 at 2:56 | comment | added | Ed999 | I don't quite "get" the reference to 1988. US copyright law changed in 1978: Asimov's books which were first published prior to 1978 are treated differently to those which were first published after that date. What's this 1988 business? Also, books first published before 1978 are granted a statutory (i.e. automatic) extension, giving each a copyright term of 95 years in all: there is no necessity for Asimov's estate to take any action, because no further renewal nor extension is required or allowed. | |
| Oct 27, 2018 at 19:50 | comment | added | Brythan | @DavidRicherby It seems something of a non-sequitur. You're responding to a comment pointing out (perhaps too obliquely) that Asimov's estate never had to deal with renewals (a claim made in this answer and in the two comments before that) by pointing out that he did, something that no one disputed. It's especially confusing since you talk about 1988, but the law affected works as early as 1964. I.e. all his works from 1964 on were affected by the law, not just those copyrighted after 1988. | |
| Oct 27, 2018 at 19:19 | comment | added | David Richerby | @Brythan Asimov complained that he had to spend a lot of time dealing with renewals. The point that I'm making (obviously too obliquely) is that the change in 1988 didn't affect Asimov, personally, very much because it only saved him a few years of dealing with renewals. | |
| Oct 26, 2018 at 17:48 | comment | added | David Richerby | @Jules True, but nearly everything Asimov wrote was written before 1988. | |
| Oct 26, 2018 at 13:17 | comment | added | user71601 | I looked through volume 2 of his autobiography where I remembered seeing this. However, with no general index and nearly 800+ pages, I did not find the reference. Presumably it would have been in the late 50's or early 60's, when the first of his published works were coming up to 20 years old. Caring very much about ownerships of his works would be totally in character. He had a delightfully high opinion of himself. ("Asimovian Immodesties") If I do stumble across it I'll add it in. | |
| Oct 26, 2018 at 9:21 | comment | added | Jules | Copyright renewal is no longer necessary. It was only required before the US joined the Berne Convention in 1988. | |
| Oct 25, 2018 at 13:45 | comment | added | user71601 | Yes, agreed - I don't have the book at hand, but will add later (assuming I can find it in x hundred pages!). And yes, about the estate is speculation at this point. | |
| Oct 25, 2018 at 11:51 | comment | added | TheLethalCarrot♦ | This answer would be better if you edited in the quote from the autobiography and also if you could add in anything that states his estate are renewing the copyrights. Of course if the latter is just educated speculation that is fine too. | |
| Oct 25, 2018 at 11:50 | review | First posts | |||
| Oct 25, 2018 at 11:51 | |||||
| Oct 25, 2018 at 11:45 | history | answered | user71601 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |