[little-bishop]

Hi below is a list of some comics from my Dad's collection. What tools can I have that will allow me to know that they are in fact in the PD before uploading? I am also willing to write letters to obtain permission if still copyrighted. Thanks....here is the list...

Baffling Mysteries #9 (1952) [Periodical House Inc]
Bronco Bill #8 (1948) [Visual Editions Inc]
Fantastic Tales #1 (no date) [I.W. Enterprises Inc]
Knights of the Round Table #10 (1957) [Literary Enterprises Inc] / also known as Pine Comics on the cover of the comic eg Ned I. Pines]
Straight Arrow

[Aussie500]

Unfortunately there is no easy way to tell what is and what is not public domain, although some comics from the early 50's we have might not technically not be public domain if the company went out of business and none of the copyrights on the earlier comics were renewed l will usually approve them. All the publishers with sections on the site would be fine provided the comic was actually golden ag(or platinum) ie:printed in 1955 or earlier. Unfortunately some publishers are not so cut and dried, some of their titles are public domain and some are not, until we sort out which we cannot have those ones will not be getting their own section. As to the many small publishers each has to be checked before we can be sure. The National comics title Mr. District Attorny is not Public domain, none of the DC or Marvel comics or their imprints are public domain. For the time being no Dell 4C titles will be allowed, although some others Dell titles are public domain, pretty sure your Dotty Dripple and Taffy would be a 4C comic. Teena as a licenced property of King Features is unlikely to be public domain. Super comics were not a Golden age publisher, l know some of their comics were not entirely legal, for the time being. The ones that are green are OK the ones struck out are not, the others l will look at later

Baffling Mysteries #9 (1952) [Periodical House Inc]  Ace Comics
Bronco Bill #8 (1948) [Visual Editions Inc]   Nedor/Better/Standard Publications
Fantastic Tales #1 (no date) [I.W. Enterprises Inc] 1958 reprint of Avon's City of the living dead
Knights of the Round Table #10 (1957) [Literary Enterprises Inc]  Not GA
Straight Arrow

[comandergood]

Hello,
You can check the copyright for some things on the US government site listed below:

http://www.copyright.gov/records/

Hope this will help some.

[BiGGyG]

Fact
Due Dilligience
DO Dilligence

Fact
Create database, spreadsheet or folders for your searches so you have the correct information.

The best way to check for Public Domain and Copyrights is to Telnet into
locis.loc.gov

LOCIS means Library of Congress Information System.

Origin late 1970s
Intent as part of the orignal Internet infastructure.

The Library of Congress Catalogue File for those of us that used to to the Library and understand this are at:
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catalog/

You can use this link BUT it maintained by 4 people trying to bring over billions of records from the mainframe the LOCIS Telnet is the best source for Due Dilligence.
http://www.copyright.gov/records/

This search at Copyright.gov is about 55% of the original LOCIS filings.

FACT
FYI 85% of print before 1963 copyrights were NOT renewed and recopyrighted.

MORE on Telnet

You can use the primitive Windows Telent or get a FREE personal use Telnet that is much more user friendly at:
http://www.hilgraeve.com/htpe/download.html

It is far easier to copy and paste from this Telnet Client then from the trying to remember how to deal with DOS windows and copy and paste. You would think Microsoft would add something a little more up to date.


Fact
Do NOT take anything anyone puts on the board as the truth or fact or the law.

There are some intelligent people in the forum and some others are just guessing or heard from someone that something was not public domain or is public domain.

I will comment on copyrighting of public domain material and the restrictions in the other section of the forum where it seems to be such a how subject.

Remember
Country
Publication
Artist
Contract - This seems to be the issue with Rich in the other forum on the GM watermarking. I will comment on this. Rich does have a point on his contract but then again the restritions applied are for resale not free distribution. The quality is horrendous for the value but filling in collections are the mentality that drives us all to download everything in site or purchase everything we can get our hands on it was drives the ultimate collector. I will address this soon in the section of the forum after I review a few things.

I control the copyrights to our artists and protect and control the electronic copyrights for Bill Ward. Bill Ward is unique in the fact that even in what appeared to his work for hire that he never gave up the copyrights or trademarks that he created. There are few exceptions but most of them are public domain anyway. However, the due dilligence that I have done to reinforcing this fact can be found in our database of book publishing timelines at http://WardArt.com and the databases from Comics.org. I am currently working on the magazine timeline of Bill Ward but I have documented the sale of over 30,000 works from Bill Ward to the Goodman magazine empire alone.

Serj has a good idea and good concept here but costs, bandwidth my prempt long term plans, dreams, and hopes without donations to Serj and NOT just for hard drives, bandwidth.

I know how long all this must have taken the team who I have yet to identify clearly but I would a dollar figure on it and get on with it. That is value and after all the Public Domain was created so that groups like this would take it upon themselves to preserve what the business community can find enough value to reprint or bother with. Future generations will be able to enjoy comics, cartoons, books, films that otherwise would just disappear like the vaults of so many of the film studios who saw no value or sold the film off in the 80s for the silver nitrate. The best example is NO original Stagecoach print was available and ONLY John Wayne was smart enough to keep an original for himself otherwise we would be relegated to watching scratchy, grainy copies of this classic western.

[boox909]

Thank you for the informative post -- I went to your site, and well, lets just say that I rarely think of comic books in transsexual contexts (i.e., gee, look at all of those phrases hidden beneath the displayed front page material!!!) regardless, what you are doing for Ward's art legacy is smart!

I highlighted part of your post that I did not understand.

What are your "prempt long term plans, dreams, and hopes" for Serj and the goldenagecomics site -- or did I just read this wrong?

What do you mean "I would take a dollar figure on it and get on with it" and what team are you attempting to "identify clearly"?

What is it that the "business community" finds in this material?

Forgive my ignorance. If you could clarify your meaning, it would make your post all the more
informative.

BTW, you should note that the link you provided is not exactly 'worksafe' -- folks should be aware of that.

B.

Serj has a good idea and good concept here but costs, bandwidth my prempt long term plans, dreams, and hopes without donations to Serj and NOT just for hard drives, bandwidth.

I know how long all this must have taken the team who I have yet to identify clearly but I would a dollar figure on it and get on with it. That is value and after all the Public Domain was created so that groups like this would take it upon themselves to preserve what the business community can find enough value to reprint or bother with.