# Is gershwin's Music in the Public Domain?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 24, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453 "2015-11-24T17:43:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/1 "2015-11-24T17:43:13Z")

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I ask because United Airlines still uses the music (“Rhapsody In Blue”) to advertise its services. Gershwin died over 75 years ago-are his works available to anybody?

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/2 "2015-11-24T17:50:15Z")

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Mostly not, for now: [Are any George Gershwin songs in the public domain? - Answers](http://www.answers.com/Q/Are_any_George_Gershwin_songs_in_the_public_domain)

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/3 "2015-11-24T18:21:49Z")

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The Gershwin estate and the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate have been instrumental in extending the length of copyright protection in the US.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/4 "2015-11-24T19:21:16Z")

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I see what you did there.

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**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/5 "2015-11-25T02:02:16Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> The Gershwin estate and the Rodgers and Hammerstein estate have been instrumental in extending the length of copyright protection in the US.

The MOUSE owns that movement.

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**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gershwins-music-in-the-public-domain/738453/6 "2015-11-25T17:34:41Z")

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I think you mean THE MOUSE©®™.