Quiet Please has probably been public domain for a long time. The copyright probably wasn't renewed back when it needed to be.
But it's now 70 years since the year Wyllis Cooper died. Since OTR copyrights were done via the author scripts, I believe that makes it officially indisputable. Although perhaps the true date for that is in June.
I don't think that "death plus 70" rule applies in the United States to works published before January 1, 1978. I believe an author's 1940s radio scripts don't enter public domain until 95 years from the original copyright date -- unless they were work-for-hire, which have different rules.
Supposedly, Radio Spirits tried to track down the rights holders of QP years ago and couldn't find anybody. So whether or not the scripts are copyrighted, they're "orphaned works" with no one to defend the copryright.
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Comments on Public Domain Day
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Quiet Please has probably been public domain for a long time. The copyright probably wasn't renewed back when it needed to be.
But it's now 70 years since the year Wyllis Cooper died. Since OTR copyrights were done via the author scripts, I believe that makes it officially indisputable. Although perhaps the true date for that is in June.
Senior Member
Usergroup: Member
Joined: Mar 14, 2003
Total Topics: 74
Total Comments: 267
I don't think that "death plus 70" rule applies in the United States to works published before January 1, 1978. I believe an author's 1940s radio scripts don't enter public domain until 95 years from the original copyright date -- unless they were work-for-hire, which have different rules.
Supposedly, Radio Spirits tried to track down the rights holders of QP years ago and couldn't find anybody. So whether or not the scripts are copyrighted, they're "orphaned works" with no one to defend the copryright.