Re: UK copyright

In-Reply-To: <Pine.OSF.3.91.960425135456.19743B-100000[_at_]newpisgah.keene.edu>
>
> We have been asked by a faculty member what the duration of copyright
> is in the United Kingdom. I have seen some statements here in the past,
> including the fact that some works (Peter Pan & the King James Bible)
> enjoy perpetual copyright protection. Are there others, and what is the
> general length of protection?

Currently, for written works at least, it's death-of-author-plus-50. European Union harmonization to d-o-a+70 is due Real Soon Now.

Peter Pan is a special case; Barrie donated the rights to the Hospital for Sick Children (St Barnado's) and someone got a set of special interest clauses inserted in the 1988 Act to give the Hospital perpetual rights (oops, you can't have a perpetuity in English law... but near as dammit).

The other exception I'm aware of is Crown Copyright, which I encounter mostly (a) when I need to re-draw a map to avoid getting permission from the Royal Ordnance and (b) as an impediment to freedom of public information.

If your colleague really wants to know about the King James Bible, I'll have to re-read the Act, or s/he will have to ask someone else.

Mike Holderness
<mch[_at_]cix.compulink.co.uk>
I'm a journalist, not a lawyer. Received on Tue Apr 30 1996 - 13:32:35 GMT