Re: anonymous copyright

On Wed, 13 Oct 1999, Mikus Grinbergs <mikus[_at_]bga.com> wrote:
>
> When the author of a work is expressly identified as "Anonymous",
> does that affect the copyright in that work?
>
> [I was on the Board of Editors of an organization. We published
> an anthology of poetry in which the author of one of the poems
> was listed as "Anonymous". We knew who the author was, but the
> author had requested to be listed as "Anonymous" because of the
> intensely personal subject matter of the poem.]
>

The act specifically provides for the term of such works in section 302(c). Basically, it's 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is first. But if anyone registers the name of the author with the copyright office, the term reverts to being based on that person's life.

Mark Lemley
<mlemley[_at_]mail.law.utexas.edu> Received on Thu Oct 14 1999 - 18:13:25 GMT