[yesthatjallen]

This page contains links to copyright registration records in the Catalog of Copyright Entries and other sources, from 1925 to 1949. Original copyrights from these years may still be in force if they were renewed, or if they were exempt from renewal requirements. Copyrights from earlier years that were renewed during this time period have expired in the US. See this page for more details.

More recent copyright registrations (from 1950 and later) are also available via this site, as are historic registrations from 1924 and earlier (all of which have by now expired).

Registrations from 1925 to 1949

[goldstategop]

Copyrighted works can be made copyleft through licensing arrangements effectively making them available for free public use.

[BigEdLB]

The music for George Gershwin, “Rhapsody in Blue” (c) 1924, entered public domain yesterday. Recordings can still be copyrighted

[hanamizu]

As I understand it, US copyright laws are designed to protect the Disney Company’s mouse.

[TomGuy]

Project Gutenberg has been digitizing public domain texts for several decades.

https://www.gutenberg.org/

Project Gutenberg is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for enjoyment and education.

[Farcesensitive]

Copyright law is insane.
It’s questionable whether they should last the entire lifetime of the creator and it’s sheer madness that they last so long after the death of the creator.

[bitt]

p

[rhinohunter]

I wonder when Hemingway’s works will go into the PD???

[Perhaps Today]

It’s about time this finally is a thing again. For far too long the companies like Disney have been hijacking the copyright laws in ways that are beyond unreasonable. I feel the whole system needs to be changed in a way that benefits the everyday American as well as still fair to the companies.

I have always considered reasonable, a one time 20 year copyright on movies, TV shows, music, books (with a few exceptions) and paintings etc. And when it comes to stuff like magazines, software, video games, and books dedicated to software and whatnot a one time 5 year copyright due to the fact that they’re often outdated and only limited for a short while. The only catch is to keep it that way it has to be available otherwise it’s waived. Companies would make their money early on and the rest of us would benefit greatly in the long run.

Considering original US copyright was 14 years with a 14 year renewal.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

In my opinion you should be given a choice when you copyright. 25 years transferrable to your heirs or your lifetime non transferrable.

[bgill]

When can we legally sing Happy Birthday to our two year olds?