Alexa

I wonder about the author's rights. If the author is dead, let's say before 1900, any editor can use his works ? I mean, does he pay for the right to sell the books ?

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"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true" (R.W. Emerson)

Princess Ivy

copyrite lasts, i think, fifty years, but can be bequethed to an heir. also, i beleive it differs from field to field........... sure leto can shed more light

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Princess Leia: I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but from now on you'll do as I say, okay?

Leto

Except if you're owned by Disney, the general rules is copyright last 50 years after the death of the author. Now law differs slightly from one country to another, as some countries (including mine) distinguished between moral copyrights and moneraty copyrights.

But usually any author death before 1956 is now in public domain and can be published by anyone without paying rights.

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Alexa

Same rule apply for tales ?

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"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true" (R.W. Emerson)

Princess Ivy

in which way? tall tales? written down/fillmed fairy tales?
my understanding is that any tale is up for grabs so long as it's more than fifty years old, however, it gets fuzzy with things like disney copy riting certain fairy tales. my understanding here is that we can still use the fairy tale, the basic storyline, but not nic the characters used by disney corp (ie, not aurora as sleeping beauty) or his pictoral representation, unless it is on a film that is over 50 years old (such as shrek using very acurate drawings of snow white). confused?

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Princess Leia: I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but from now on you'll do as I say, okay?

Leto

For tales it's like any other piece of creation : 50 years after the author's death.
Disney copyrighted animation movies and animated characters based on tales, not tales themselves.

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Alexa

Thanks a lot. I might edit some fairy tales for children, possible for Christmas time.

__________________
"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true" (R.W. Emerson)

Leto

No trouble for them then. Do you plan to have a special theme for this book ?

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Princess Ivy

and can we see a copy?

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Princess Leia: I don't know who you are or where you've come from, but from now on you'll do as I say, okay?

Alexa

Only classics: Grimm, Anderson, la Contesse de Ségur, etc. I didn't see them often in the libraries.

Ivy I can show you a copy, but I'll write in French.

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"Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true" (R.W. Emerson)