06-25-2008, 09:07 PM
As I think I've mentioned before, I do a monthly newsletter for my Gun Club.
An occasional contributor (one of very FEW contributors other than me who writes content for the newsletter) has expressed interest in excerpting a chapter from an "old gun book" for the newsletter.
The book in question was published in 1944 (so it is NOT in the "public domain" as I understand the law).
The publisher apparently no longer exists (at least as Google understands it).
The book has never been reprinted (which would complicate the issue with a "modern" publisher in the mix).
So I'm wondering about several factors;
First- is one chapter (about 40 pages) out of an 812 page book considered "fair use" to excerpt for printing in a non-profit newsletter?
The second would be;
If one chose to respect the copyright of such a work, how would a person go about FINDNG who holds the rights on a work where the author is long dead and the publisher (apparently) went under in 1949?
Appreciate opinions, info, etc.
(and yes, I could have found a forum that specializes in Copyright issues, but I'm fairly sure some folks here can answer such questions from personal experience sufficient for me to then follow up that knowledge... ).
An occasional contributor (one of very FEW contributors other than me who writes content for the newsletter) has expressed interest in excerpting a chapter from an "old gun book" for the newsletter.
The book in question was published in 1944 (so it is NOT in the "public domain" as I understand the law).
The publisher apparently no longer exists (at least as Google understands it).
The book has never been reprinted (which would complicate the issue with a "modern" publisher in the mix).
So I'm wondering about several factors;
First- is one chapter (about 40 pages) out of an 812 page book considered "fair use" to excerpt for printing in a non-profit newsletter?
The second would be;
If one chose to respect the copyright of such a work, how would a person go about FINDNG who holds the rights on a work where the author is long dead and the publisher (apparently) went under in 1949?
Appreciate opinions, info, etc.
(and yes, I could have found a forum that specializes in Copyright issues, but I'm fairly sure some folks here can answer such questions from personal experience sufficient for me to then follow up that knowledge... ).