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

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Kevin W. Woodruff" <cierpke AT prodigy.net>
  • Cc: Biblical Hebrew List <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] re- copyright laws
  • Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:51:01 +0100

On 15/09/2005 02:20, Kevin W. Woodruff wrote:

Gentlemen:

Here is a page giving the terms of copyright and
public domain. I hope this clears up the confusion

http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm


Thank you. To clarify this, the edition of Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley in question was "Published in the United States by Oxford University Press, New York" as a reprint of the "Second English edition 1910". There is no explicit copyright notice. The issues may be a bit complicated because the date of publication in the USA is unstated, and in fact may be later than 1910. But presumably a subsequent US publication of a reprint does not create a new copyright. Also your list makes no mention of works published in English between 1909 and 1922 which are not "Published in compliance with US formalities" - and such formalities do not apply here as they require a formal copyright notice. Nevertheless it seems clear that in every case a work published before 1923 whose authors have been dead for more than 70 years is in the public domain. The only possible copyright claim on the book might come from the rules described at http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/c-fineprint.html, but these probably apply only to publications in languages other than English.

Given the highly tenuous nature of any claims to copyright which might exist, for Oxford University Press and the estates of Gesenius, Kautzsch and Cowley, I would suggest that people treat the site at http://www.biblecentre.net/ot/ges/gr/hegr-Index.html as legitimate until or unless Oxford etc take any action against it, but also take some care about republishing this material themselves.

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



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