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[trevize]

Is it possible to upload non-english PD comics (German, French)?

[John C]

It's a hard question to answer, because there are many variables.

First, the European Union copyright terms run for Life+70 years.  This means that it's absolutely impossible for any book published after 1939 to be in the public domain.  In many countries, this is even a retroactive ruling, so a book that was in the public domain before the treaty may again be protected under copyright.

Then you have to account for the lives of the creators--they all have a stake in the book, which means any survivor past 1939 might preserve the book's copyright.  Worse, not everybody is listed, so who even knows who to check?

On the flipside, a book has a better chance to be public domain if it was published in the United States, but the odds of a book in the 1940s or 1950s being published in a non-English language are slim.

Did you have something in mind that you already know is in the public domain?  Because I know that a lot of us would be interested, at least.

[Yoc]

The safe answer is 'no' trevize.  Variables in laws, etc and John mentioned discourage us from sharing foreign editions.

-Yoc

[John C]

But, to follow that up, if you have something specific in mind and know the rights are clear, I'm very curious and I think a lot of people here would be.

[trevize]

well, I've got some Nick Knatterton (german) comics and also some old hungarian stuff, but all of them are from 50-s. I didn't know about 70 years after death rule in EU.

[Serj]

If you do find a non-english public domain comic then it fine to host here but the background information about copyright etc has to be researched in detail first before it will be allowed.