-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FW: Soviet Copyright FYI
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:56:14 -0600
From: Geoff Forbes <[log in to unmask]>
To: Angie Cope <[log in to unmask]>

Hi, Angie--

My post from Friday morning hasn't appeared yet:

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff Forbes [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 9:45 AM
To: 'Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship'
Subject: RE: Soviet Copyright FYI

Hi, Theresa--

Most countries' copyrights expire after 50 years; it does appear that
for some materials in Russia the period is 70 years, which would clear
materials from 1942 and prior.  But I believe most Soviet topographic
maps held by US libraries were published from the 1960s through the
1980s.   When you say that most of your Soviet maps are not newer than
1942, it makes me wonder whether you are looking at the year of
publication or the datum (the datum of most Soviet maps is Pulkovo 1942
/ Пулково 1942).  And whether any Soviet military maps are protected by
copyright is another matter for debate:  many are not stamped as
copyrighted, since they were originally classified (not intended for
public dissemination at all); and the supposed copyright holder (the
Soviet Union) no longer exists.

That's my 2 kopecks' worth.

Geoff

Geoffrey A. Forbes, M.S.
Director of Sales
LAND INFO Worldwide Mapping LLC
Tel: +1.763.428.4129
Fax: +1.303.790.9734
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web site: www.landinfo.com

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Soviet Copyright FYI
Date:   Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:22:36 +0000
From:   Quill, Theresa Marguerite <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>

Good morning fellow mapheads!

I thought y’all might be interested in this: According to a librarian at
the National Library of Russia, materials published before 1942 are not
covered under Russian copyright law. For our library, that means most of
our Soviet Military Topos can be digitized!!

DISCLAIMER: Digitize at your own risk. I’m not a Russian legal scholar,
and this information comes from one librarian, but from the little
research I did, this seems legit.

--

Theresa Quill

Map/GIS Associate

Herman B. Wells Library

Indiana University- Bloomington