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Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 16:36:24 -0500
From: Kathryn L Engstrom <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Copyright Question
Sender: Kathryn L Engstrom <[log in to unmask]>



The following is quoted from Circular 15t from the Copyright Office of
the Library of Congress which can be found along with a lot of other
useful information regarding copyright regulations on the Copyright
Office web site <www.loc.gov/copyright.

Termination of Grants
"For works already under statutory copyright on January 1, 1978, the
law also contains special provisions. A work published before January
1, 1964, and originally copyrighted within the past 75 years may still
be protected by copyright if a valid renewal registration was made
during the 28th year of the first term of the copyright. If renewed
and if still valid under the other provisions of the law, the
copyright will now expire 95 years from the end of the year in which
it was first secured. Works published before January 1, 1923, have
fallen into the public domain, but works published after that date
could still be protected by copyright if the copyright was renewed by
registration or automatically by law under Public Law 102-307."

Generally speaking, as several other who have responded are correct
in pointing out, reproducing a public domain map from a copyrighted
book may not be the best idea as the copyright owner of the book owns
the rights to the image in the book even though s/he does not own the
copyright to the original map.  It is always best to go to the
institution holding the original item to obtain a reproduction.



Kathryn L. Engstrom
Reference Team Leader
Geography and Map Division
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4650

Email:  [log in to unmask]
Voice: 202/707-8545
FAX:   202/707-8531
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