Copyright question for a series of books...?

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Question:

I would like to get the copyright, or reprint some "out of print" books!. The author--American--passed away around 1984!.!.!.and the books are copyrighted between 1971-1975!.!.!.

The main book (of a somewhat famous character) has been reprinted by another company in Britain, and they have a blurb that states "All attempts have been made to contact the original copyright holder"!.!.!.

When I contacted the original company, they didn't have the books on record!.!.!.and the copyright!.gov site only has the 1st and 2nd book listed!.!.!.with "heirs" having the copyright extended in the late 90s!. The British company didn't know who the original copyright holders where either!.!.!.!.

Am I able to republish the books out of print, or even all the books if I put the same blurb!? Or would it be best to contact an intellectual property lawyer (and spend some money) to probably get the rights the books!.!.!.and probably even the character!.!.!.!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

you need to spend the money getting the advice of a lawyer, especially one familiar with publishing

if the copyright was extended in the 90s, the HAS to be information available somewhere on who they are!.

the company with the blurb may or may not have any real protection under the law, especially if they did not in good faith actually attempt to contact the copyright holders (which are not all that hard to find with the author's death being reasonably recent)!.

People try to get around the fair use exceptions doing such things but often they deliberately infringed on a copyright and fair use standard does actually not apply (and it can be a really expensive judgment to pay off)!.

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I would hire or consult with a lawyer; he/she will be able to answer all your questions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com