copyright in 1939 Soviet publication

[Michael Newcity]

Some time ago Patrick Corness asked about the copyright status of a Russian
poem originally published in the USSR in 1939.  Copyright in works published
in the USSR prior to May 27, 1973 (when the Soviet Union joined the
Universal Copyright Convention) were in the public domain under US copyright
law UNTIL January 1, 1996.  At that time, copyright in such works was
automatically restored in the U.S. as long as the work was still protected
in the country where it was originally published.  Thus, in the case that
Patrick asked about, if the author died in 1980, copyright protection in
Russia would still have been effect when the U.S. copyright was restored in
1996 and, thus, it is still subject to copyright protection in the U.S.

 

Regards,

Michael Newcity

 

 

 

 

Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies

Duke University

Box 90260

Room 303, Languages Building

Durham, NC  27708-0260

Tel: 919-660-3150

Fax: 919-660-3188

 

Description: Slavic logo-2.tif

 

From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Patrick Corness
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2012 2:47 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: [SEELANGS] copyright in 1939 Soviet publication

 

Hi, I would like to publish my translation of a poem by Stepan Shchipachev,
Po doroge v sovkhoz. I believe it was published in 1939 and the author died
in 1980. Could anyone please advise on the copyright situation? Although the
original work was published well before Soviet Russia subscribed to
international copyright conventions, I have it on good authority that
author's rights may apply retrospectively to an English translation. Any
rights experts out there?



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