I WILL TYPE IN CAPS MY WORDS SO THAT WE CAN DISTINGUISH WHAT I WAS TOLD FROM THE COPYRIGHT LAW OFFICE. I AM NOT SHOUTING! <:-) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I CALLED THE FEDERAL COPYRIGHT OFFICE. I TOLD THE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I SPOKE WITH THE BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1963. SHE TOLD ME THAT IT FELL UNDER THE 28 YEAR RULE AND SAID THAT IN 1991 THE COPYRIGHT WAS OVER UNLESS HE RENEWED IT [IE: PARAGRAPH 1 BELOW]. DR. HARRIS DIED BEFORE 1991 WHICH WOULD BE THE TIME THAT HIS FIRST COPYRIGHT WAS OVER. IF HE RENEWED IT THEN I WONDER WHY IT'S NOT REGISTERED ONLINE. ONLINE YOU CAN SEARCH COPYRIGHTS THAT ARE CURRENT SINCE 1978. I CHECKED THE NAME OF: MALCOLM HARRIS; MALCOLM, MALCOLM HART HARRIS, ETC.. NO LISTING WAS FOUND. SHE SAID I COULD PAY $65 FOR A LEGAL SEARCH FROM THEIR OFFICE. SHE ALSO DIRECTED ME TO THE GOVERNMENT COPYRIGHT WEB SITE WHERE YOU CAN READ ABOUT COPYRIGHTS AND ALSO DO A FREE SEARCH. HERE IS THAT URL & HERE IS THE LAW THAT SHE QUOTED ME. http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/ LOOK UNDER BASIC COPYRIGHT TO FIND THESE RULES OF COPYRIGHT. Works Originally Created and Published or Registered Before January 1, 1978 Under the law in effect before 1978, copyright was secured either on the date a work was published with a copyright notice or on the date of registration if the work was registered in unpublished form. In either case, the copyright endured for a first term of 28 years from the date it was secured. During the last (28th) year of the first term, the copyright was eligible for renewal. The Copyright Act of 1976 extended the renewal term from 28 to 47 years for copyrights that were subsisting on January 1, 1978, or for pre-1978 copyrights restored under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), making these works eligible for a total term of protection of 75 years. Public Law 105-298, enacted on October 27, 1998, further extended the renewal term of copyrights still subsisting on that date by an additional 20 years, providing for a renewal term of 67 years and a total term of protection of 95 years. Public Law 102-307, enacted on June 26, 1992, amended the 1976 Copyright Act to provide for automatic renewal of the term of copyrights secured between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977. Although the renewal term is automatically provided, the Copyright Office does not issue a renewal certificate for these works unless a renewal application and fee are received and registered in the Copyright Office. Public Law 102-307 makes renewal registration optional. Thus, filing for renewal registration is no longer required in order to extend the original 28-year copyright term to the full 95 years. However, some benefits accrue from making a renewal registration during the 28th year of the original term. For more detailed information on renewal of copyright and the copyright term, request Circular 15, "Renewal of Copyright"; Circular 15a, "Duration of Copyright"; and Circular 15t, "Extension of Copyright Terms." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WHAT DO WE DO NOW?? 1.) WE CAN PAY THE $65 TO GET A LEGAL SEARCH. 2.) WE CAN CONTACT THE FAMILY AND ASK THEM IF WE CAN PUBLISH THE BOOK AND THE FAMILY KEEP THEIR COPYRIGHT IF IT IS STILL ENFORCED. THAT WOULD ALSO FREE US UP TO GET THE OTHER BOOKS REPRINTED. THEY WOULD RECEIVE ROYALTIES FOR THE BOOK. FINE BY ME! 3.) THEY CAN TRANSFER COPYRIGHT TO THE LOUISA CO. HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THEN THE BOOK CAN BE PRINTED OR WE CAN PRINT IT FOR THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND DONATE IT TO THEM. I UNDERSTAND THEY ARE SHORT STAFFED, ETC. AND THEY MIGHT NOT WANT TO TAKE ON THIS PROJECT. 4.) WE CAN GET THE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER TO PRINT IT BUT THAT WILL REQUIRE THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR A FAMILY MEMBER GETTING INVOLVED. [THAT WAS WHAT I WAS TOLD. IF I PERSONALLY GOT THE BOOK PRINTED THEN THEY WOULD NOT SELL IT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THEY SAID THAT ALL SELLS WOULD GO THROUGH ME. I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT. I DON'T WANT TO BECOME A CLEARINGHOUSE FOR DR. HARRIS' BOOK. IT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT TO ME. FRANKLY I DON'T CARE WHAT WE DO. I JUST WANT A COPY AND SO DOES ABOUT 80 OTHERS SO FAR. <:-) *********************************************************************************************** NEXT STEPS TO TAKE: 1.) IF THE PERSON WHO CONTACTED THE NEXT OF KIN WOULD EMAIL ME AND GIVE ME A PHONE NUMBER, I WILL CALL THE FAMILY AND TALK TO THEM. 2.) IF SOMEONE KNOWS THIS FAMILY AND WANTS TO CONTACT THEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IT WOULD BE BETTER COMING FROM AN ACQUAINTANCE. 3.) IF A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WANTS TO PICK UP THIS BALL AND RUN WITH IT, I'M ALL FOR THAT ALSO. ************************************************************************************************* LASTLY... YOU CAN TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF COPYRIGHTS AND THE FAMILY JUST MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT. IF THEY TRANSFERRED OWNERSHIP TO THE LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY THEN THE BOOKS WILL BE REPRINTED FOR YEARS TO COME. SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE DR. HARRIS PROUD. ALSO ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS COULD BE MADE IN FUTURE UPDATES. SEE URL : http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html#hlc *********************************************************************************************** Now the options are clear unless someone has another way....lets proceed with getting this man's wonderful contributions to this county published. BTW on the New Kent County site there is a book by Dr. Harris that has been put online. I will contact the person there to see where they obtained permission to make the information available. I want to see this work in print, it appears there is valuable information in it for all...... Regards, Adrianne Hopkins Georgia