Summary: Russian Copyright

[David J. Galloway]

My posting concerned how to get in contact and negotiate rights with Russian
publishers.
Thanks to those who responded either to my first posting or direct inquiries
on this topic:  Robert De Lossa, Peter Maggs, Elendea Proffer, Emily Tall,
and N. Novak.  Below follows a condensed summary of the results.  

ISSUE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN
For works in the public domain—meaning that no one holds the rights and they
can be used without permission and/or payment (though permission may be
requested as a courtesy)—May 1973 has been offered as the cutoff date (the
time at which the Soviet Union joined the international copyright
convention).  Works published after May 1973 are protected under the law and
may not be used without permission.

The first step is to find out who holds the rights, usually accomplished by
writing the publisher (though this can be tricky with Russian
publishers--see below).  Within the author’s lifetime plus seventy years,
rights may be held by the author (or any heirs).  For classic works, the
publisher will only hold copyright on what is new—editorial apparatus,
commentary, etc.
  
CONTACTING A PUBLISHER
For contact addresses, fax, and telephone numbers for a publisher in Russia
or the Soviet successor states, see the following source (an annual
publication):

        International Literary Market Place
        Providence, NJ:  R.R. Bowker

GETTING A RESPONSE FROM A PUBLISHER
Several respondents told how they had faxed/mailed requests for permission,
but had never received a response. This appears to be the general trend.
Having a copy of a posted registered letter is a safety measure with some
level of legal protection, since it is proof that you did seek the rights.
The burden of response is on the publisher.

The consensus among respondents was that an in-person contact was probably
the best way to seek copyright permission (and even to pay for the rights on
the spot); there seem to be a lot of headaches in this area with repeated
unanswered letters and faxes. 

>>From the number of letters I received asking me to post this information, I
think it would be worthwhile to keep this thread alive, if only
periodically.  If you go through this process anytime in the future and can
offer advice, please post it to the list or to me.


***************************************************************************
David J. Galloway               	
Slavic Studies 
236 Goldwin Smith Hall
Cornell University      	
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 272-8350                  	
Email:  djg11 at cornell.edu 

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