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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] re- copyright laws

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] re- copyright laws
  • Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 23:24:20 +0100

On 14/09/2005 17:26, Harold R. Holmyard III wrote:

Dear Dave,


I'm surprised to hear that BDB and Gesenius might still be under copyright. I
suppose the copyright on Gesenius may have been renewed by somebody, but
looking at the shelves of my local Christian bookstore, it would appear that
most anybody with a scanner and a truckload of paper can print BDB...


HH: Yes, it is copyrighted. Look at the publication page in Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. It says:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press


But this work dates from 1910, even in its final revision, and so is surely now out of copyright. BDB certainly is. OUP's claim of copyright on Gesenius is legally null and void, at least in the UK which was the original place of publication.

From
http://www.is4profit.com/busadvice/copyright/basic_copyright_facts/2_ownership_duration_copyright.htm:


How long does UK copyright last?

Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (including a photograph) lasts until 70 years after the death of the author.


The named authors of this edition of Gesenius (the one at http://www.biblecentre.net/ot/ges/gr/hegr-Index.html) are Gesenius who died in 1842, Kautzsch who died in 1910 (see the last part of the Translator's Preface), and A.E. Cowley. So the question is, when did Cowley die? The answer is at http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/archive.asp?fellowsID=1575: 1931. So GKC must be out of copyright at least here in the UK.


--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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