Mike,

Generally works published before 1978 are protected by copyright for 75
years. However, copyright is a complicated issue. Although it is
probably safe to say that a work published in a newspaper from 1905 is
in the public domain, I'd recommend contacting the publisher of the
newspaper before you reprint it. More information on copyright is
available in "Copyright Basics", a publication of the Library of
Congress' Copyright Office. This is available at
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/intprop/circ1.html.
You may also want to consult LC's "How to investigate the Copyright
Status of a Work"
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/intprop/circ22.html.

Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact me
directly. I can be reached at (607) 547-1473 or via email:
[log in to unmask]

 ___________________________

Melissa McAfee
Research Library Director
New York State Historical Association
The Farmers' Museum
PO Box 800  Lake Road
Cooperstown, NY  13326
607 547 1473 (tel)
607 547 1405 (fax)

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Date:    Tue, 18 Mar 2003 10:45:09 -0500
From:    mike engle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Microfilm Copyright

Thank you to everyone who replied.

I have one question to Melissa McAfee.

She said " Permission to reproduce the entire microfilm should be
requested from the NYSHA Research Library. "

(The paper in question is a Cooperstown Newspaper, the Oswego Farmer I
believe)

What If I found a 1905 article that I wanted to put into a book.  This
is my question.  I knew that the 75 years rule was not a problem, but
when I saw that the NYSHS owned the microfilm copywrite. I had
questions.

  From what it sounds like,  I could retype the article and put it in
the book, in typed form,  but what seems FUZZY is if I could just
photocopy the article, and put it in the book, as a clipping.


Best Regards
Mike Engle