RE: [Open_Gaming] Public Domain Names

[Russ Taylor]

On 6/20/00 4:30 PM, Faustus von Goethe ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote

>>WOW, this has gotten off topic... say, how many  more years until OD&D is
>>public domain?
>
>Under original copyright protection as it was conceived in the constitution 
>the first D&D books would be in the public domain right now.

Actually, not quite....they'd be two years away.  The original term was 
28 years after date of publication or registration (whichever was first), 
so it'd be 2002, or possibly 2001 if it was registered in 1973.

One can very well see that putting 30 year old books into the public 
domain isn't exactly a business threat :)

-- 
Russ Taylor (http://www.cmc.net/~rtaylor/)
CMC Tech Support Manager

Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a 
pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses.

Jake: Hit it!

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