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[Kevin Yong]

Hi all. I'm curious if there's a guideline for which Charlton titles are clear for including in the Silver Age section of the site. Is there a clear cutoff date across all titles, or is the copyright status something that I would need to check on a case by case basis?

I ask because I've been looking through my collection and found several Charlton horror titles  from the late Sixties to mid-Seventies (such as the "Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves", "Creepy Things", "Monster Hunters", etc.) Unfortunately they all appear to be from the era where Charlton finally got their legal indicia in order and actually began including proper copyright notices in their books.

I just didn't want to go on a wild goose chase looking up the copyright status of individual issues if there's a clear across-the-board cutoff point for the Silver Age Charlton section already established. Thanks for any info you can provide. 

[narfstar]

They are safe through the middle of 1967 and as far as I know until the end. I always check anything from 1967 just to be sure. They start to get close with international copyright secured 1967 but they do not say to whom. If it says copyright or copyright secured to Charlton then it is not PD.

[Kevin Yong]

Thanks! That helps narrow it down a bit for me.

Unfortunately, it looks like most of my Charlton back issues are from the era when they finally started adding the correct "(c) Copyright 19XX Charlton Press Inc." legal notices to their work. So, I guess it's back to the older back-issue bins for me.

I've got one Charlton Blue Beetle comic from 1964, without a valid official copyright notice as far as I can see (just the vague "International copyright secured" comment on the inside front cover).  Blue Beetle, volume 2, #4.

I assume that a comic from that date would go in the Silver Age Charlton section, rather than with the other older Blue Beetle books in the Golden Age Charlton section?

[narfstar]

I have all those BB and Capt Atom but have resisted upping them because DC is using the properties. They were published without valid copyright but I know that some of the early Captain Atom had good copyright. Interesting that in the 50's Charlton did it right then stopped.

[Kevin Yong]

I have all those BB and Capt Atom but have resisted upping them because DC is using the properties...

Ah, I see. If you think it best for the site, I'll hold off on scanning the Blue Beetle issue. I wasn't sure about the grey area on this one, since it's the archeologist "Dan Garrett" version of the character in the solid blue version of the costume -- not sure where he fell in the spectrum of DC's claim to the character. (I know they've staked a trademark claim on the name, and on the "Ted Kord" version of the character, plus their teenage alien bug armor version that's a new creation they own outright.)

[narfstar]

Mark makes the final decision he may feel it worth the chance since legally they are OK. I think most are already scanned though. If he wants to carry them I will check before you spend your time

[Kevin Yong]

Thanks. Since the copyright status on this one is murky, I'll pass and just keep my eyes open for "safer" Charlton titles in the Silver Age back issue bins next time I'm at the local comic show. Knowing the basic timeframe to aim for now will help.

[josemas]

Seems to me that PD is PD.  DC may certainly have trademarks on some of the old Charlton characters but that shouldn't have any effect on us hosting any issues that are actually PD. 

DC also has trademarks on some Fawcett and Quality characters but that hasn't stopped us from hosting those comics.

I say if the comics are PD then bring on all of those SA Charltons that fall into that category.

My two cents anyway.

Joe

[narfstar]

I think we want to stay under DC's radar. Early issues of More Fun and More Adventure are PD too if Mark wants to carry them

[MarkWarner]

My opinion is that if we genuinely believe that comics are PD then we should put them up.

There is a disclaimer and I would hope that if we were genuinely infringing copyright then we would get a cease and desist. At which point they would be removed. Anything worse would not really be natural justice.

When you consider GCD (comics.org) holds covers for non PD comics, archive.org has a massive amount of non PD material, Google stores archives of non PD material and images. Then even though we are a minnow why should we be shy of putting up material that we really believe is Public Domain?

So saying I'd prefer to keep off radar screens, but what will be will be.

I think that means do it, PROVIDING it's all double checked

[josemas]

I think we want to stay under DC's radar. Early issues of More Fun and More Adventure are PD too if Mark wants to carry them

If those early issues of Adventure and More Fun, published by Major Wheeler-Nicholson's company National Allied Publications, are PD than I say we should be able to carry them. 

I agree we should tread lightly but again PD is PD.

Best

Joe

[narfstar]

They are now available in the GA section under Platinum PD

[josemas]

Wow!   That was quick!

Thanks Narf.

Joe

[narfstar]

Now we need to look at ACG and Dell/GK/Western
We carry them up to Dec 1959 because that is what GAC did. However, copyright needed renewed through 1963 so if they were not renewed by 1989 then they are pd. Wildthing or anyone else want to check?

[josemas]

One thing I should add here.  I do feel that we need to post which issues are okay to post and which are not with these DC predecessors.  List a cut-off number or something on the description so that people don't start uploading issues that are not PD.

Best

Joe

[ALV910]

I went and bought a copy of Blue Beetle #5 (the Ditko 1967 series) recently and noticed there was no indica on the inside front cover.  Is this the same with other copies?  Also if it's the same with every copy, is the indica anywhere else that I missed?