How does a site get permission like this?

[Pastore]

This site has over 300 full books. I have been reading some of the stuff and it's great to read online like this. But where do the rights come from to have full texts available to anyone?

 

[Czar]

copyright has expired, lasts 50-100 years I think

 

[her209]

dunno.

 

[Pastore]

We only list public domain books so the author must have died over 50 years ago for us to legally list his works.

I should have read a bit closer.

 

Yep, I visit a site with same contents but different name. I love the contents!

I think copyright is not an issue at all because many of those materials are either hymnals or the bible or literature like Shakespeare's. They have no ownership/copyright. Some of the materials hardly have verifiable authors. They're too old to be copyrighted.

 

[guyver01]

Personally, i dont think Dante Alighieri is in any position to complain about this

 

[SoylentGreen]

I sit on the computer more than enough. To sit and read novels on my screen is tedious to say the least.

Print them out? Bah it's cheaper to buy the books than buy printer cartridges. (Or library for free)

 

[DigDug]

wrong.

For works published before 1978, the copyright lasts for (to simplify it down) 95 years total, or 75 years total depending on when it was published. 95 for 1923 and beyond, 75 (and therefore now in the public domain) for works published 1923 or earlier.
For works published after 1978, the copyright extends for the life of the author + 70 years.

The copyright act of 1976, changed the duration of copyright to turn on the date of creation, and not on publication.

 

[acidvoodoo]

Originally posted by: her209
dunno.

 

[Peetoeng]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
wrong.

For works published before 1978, the copyright lasts for (to simplify it down) 95 years total, or 75 years total depending on when it was published. 95 for 1923 and beyond, 75 (and therefore now in the public domain) for works published 1923 or earlier.
For works published after 1978, the copyright extends for the life of the author + 70 years.

The copyright act of 1976, changed the duration of copyright to turn on the date of creation, and not on publication.

How does it apply if the works are owned by corporation?

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
wrong.

For works published before 1978, the copyright lasts for (to simplify it down) 95 years total, or 75 years total depending on when it was published. 95 for 1923 and beyond, 75 (and therefore now in the public domain) for works published 1923 or earlier.
For works published after 1978, the copyright extends for the life of the author + 70 years.

The copyright act of 1976, changed the duration of copyright to turn on the date of creation, and not on publication.

And we can thank the corporations (RIAA, MPAA, etc) for that. I heard recently that the Supreme Court was going to consider shortening the length of time a work remains copyrighted a bit (originally, it was just something in the range of 30 to 50 years that a work could be copyrighted); the excessive lengthening of copyrights is getting a bit rediculous (notice, for example, that Disney starts to lobby Congress quite reliably a few years before one of their old copyrights is going to expire). :|

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: Peetoeng

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
wrong.

For works published before 1978, the copyright lasts for (to simplify it down) 95 years total, or 75 years total depending on when it was published. 95 for 1923 and beyond, 75 (and therefore now in the public domain) for works published 1923 or earlier.
For works published after 1978, the copyright extends for the life of the author + 70 years.

The copyright act of 1976, changed the duration of copyright to turn on the date of creation, and not on publication.

How does it apply if the works are owned by corporation?

150 years max IIRC.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: Beast1284
This site has over 300 full books. I have been reading some of the stuff and it's great to read online like this. But where do the rights come from to have full texts available to anyone?

havent looked closely at it, but Project Gutenberg has a bunch of public domain stuff too