# Copyright expired rules. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279 "2006-04-11T22:15:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/1 "2006-04-11T22:15:26Z")
If I came across an old book that Google has indexed and wanted to put it online word for word is that legal since the copyright expired? Or are some other rules protecting it? \*I have no interest in this other that a question I thought about when I was reading a scanned book in Googles book archives. How much nicer it would be in text format of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/2 "2006-04-11T22:27:36Z")
You may want to check out [Project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/) and see what you can find out. They have about 18,000 public-domain books online in plain text format, free for the downloading. They have a whole [FAQ](http://www.gutenberg.org/howto/copyright-howto) concerning copyright clearances and if they don’t have that book already, you can volunteer to submit it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/3 "2006-04-11T22:29:44Z")
> [@Abbie Normal](#): > > If I came across an old book that Google has indexed and wanted to put it online word for word is that legal since the copyright expired? Or are some other rules protecting it? Assuming it is in the public domain (which it is if the copyright has expired), this is fine. Nobody owns it, so nobody can prevent anyone else from doing anything with that content. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/4 "2006-04-11T23:18:39Z")
Are you sure that the copyright has expired? For most practical purposes that would put the book from 1922 or earlier. If it is that old, then as everyone says it’s in the public domain and you’re free to reprint it as you wish. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/5 "2006-04-11T23:57:53Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Are you sure that the copyright has expired? For most practical purposes that would put the book from 1922 or earlier. > > If it is that old, then as everyone says it’s in the public domain and you’re free to reprint it as you wish. Yes it was from 1911, and as far as I know Google only allows “full” indexing of the books if it is not under copyright. Jet Jaguar, thanks that’s very interesting I didn’t know that. This just crossed my mind as I was reading a copy of a book in scanned (JPG?) version, very hard on my eyes. Derleth That’s shocking, I assumed that they would still have some sort of protection as to stop someone from retyping the whole thing. But thanks to Jet, I won’t have to strain the eyes to read some oldies. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/6 "2006-04-12T00:07:29Z")
Yeah, PG is great. You can goof off at work and everyone will think you’re busy. (shh, don’t tell…) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/7 "2006-04-12T01:05:03Z")
> [@Abbie Normal](#): > > Derleth That’s shocking, I assumed that they would still have some sort of protection as to stop someone from retyping the whole thing. Why is it shocking? Nowadays you get the better part of a century (and sometimes more) to make money off your creation. That sounds long enough for me. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/8 "2006-04-12T02:48:48Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Why is it shocking? Nowadays you get the better part of a century (and sometimes more) to make money off your creation. That sounds long enough for me. But not to people like Rep. Bono, who is oft-quoted as (reputedly) saying: > [@](#): > > “Sonny wanted the term of copyright protection to last forever. I am informed by staff that such a change would violate the Constitution. I invite all of you to work with me to strengthen our copyright laws in all of the ways available to us. As you know, there is also Jack Valenti’s [of the MPAA] proposal for term to last forever less one day. Perhaps the Committee may look at that next Congress.” If this is accurate, then :rolleyes: , otherwise :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/9 "2006-04-12T08:27:12Z")
From the [U.S. Copyright Office](http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.html#special): > [@](#): > > **Works Published or Copyrighted Before January 1, 1964:** Works published with notice of copyright or registered in unpublished form prior to January 1, 1964, had to be renewed during the 28th year of their first term of copyright to maintain protection for a full 95-year term. So, it’s possible that a work published as late as 1963 is now in the public domain. If it was published 1950-1963, the work’s renewal should be in the Copyright Office’s online database of registrations and renewals. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/10 "2006-04-12T08:40:11Z")
> [@Abbie Normal](#): > > Derleth That’s shocking, I assumed that they would still have some sort of protection as to stop someone from retyping the whole thing. Who do you think should own the plays of Shakespeare? How about Geoffrey Chaucer’s _Canterbury Tales_? Those are rhetorical questions, of course: Those works belong to all of us, as a culture, not to anyone in specific. The public domain forms the foundation of our culture, and our culture forms the foundation of our very civilization. It is shocking that someone should have the temerity to try and keep works out of the public domain for longer than the lifespan of the author. But here we get into GD territory, or possibly The BBQ Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/11 "2006-04-12T08:47:32Z")
The author’s spouse should not be able to get any royalty after the author’s death? You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch! ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-expired-rules/352279/12 "2006-04-12T12:24:53Z")
I actually figured it was kept as long as the family kept an interest in it. I was wrong. That’s what the SD is all about and it fought my ignorance of the law’s.