[OSM-talk] GPX tracing out of copyright maps

[matthew-osm at newtoncomputing.co.uk]

On Mon, Nov 13, 2006 at 01:00:40PM +0000, Nick Burch wrote:
> On Sat, 11 Nov 2006, Nick Hill wrote:
> > However, on page 
> > http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Out-of-copyright_maps
> > It says for company produced maps (such as this) copyright persists 70 years 
> > after the end of the calendar year it was produced.
> 
> Having just heard back from a friend who's a lawyer, I'm told that this is 
> incorrect. For the UK:
> 
> "Yup, section 12(8)(a)(i) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
> states that for literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works having
> multiple authors, the term of protection is 70 years from the end of
> the calendar year in which the last surviving author passes away.
> There are no alterations of the term."

I am surprised. It seems wierd that the employer is the copyright holder, but
that the copyright expires 70 years after the author (not the copyright holder)
dies. But I suppose that politicians are renowned for making laws that seem
wierd to everyone else.

The law can be read on the web, at the following places:

  Original act...
  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880048_en_2.htm#mdiv12

  Extension to 70 years...
  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19953297_en_5.htm


Crown copyright is also clearly 50 years after it was published, assuming it was
published before 75 years after creation of the work:

  http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880048_en_11.htm#mdiv163

(otherwise, it is 125 years after creation)

It does seem fairly straightforward. :-(

-- 
Matthew