From: "Jean-Claude Guédon" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 12:38:58 -0400

Further to an earlier message, I did some digging and hit upon the
case of Apollinaire, the famous poet who died in 1918.

Here is the whole explanation (in French) found in the Parisian
newspaper Libération to explain why his works will fall in the public
domain in France only on September 29th of last year.

"Apollinaire fut blessé au front en 1916 par un éclat d’obus à la
tempe alors qu’il était en train de lire dans sa tranchée. Il succomba
deux ans plus tard de la terrible grippe de 1918. Jugeant que sa
blessure l’avait affaibli, on reconnut cependant le sacrifice fait à
la Nation. Résumons donc : né d’une mère polonaise et d’un père
italien, Apollinaire est mort pour la France d’une grippe espagnole !
Et l’on obtient ainsi la longue somme suivante : 50 ans (durée
classique) + 30 ans (mort pour la France) + 6 ans et 152 jours
(Première Guerre mondiale) + 8 ans et 120 jours (Seconde Guerre
mondiale). Soit un total de 94 ans et 272 jours qui s’en vont pour
qu’enfin sonne l’heure de ce dimanche 29 septembre 2013. Ouf, il était
temps."

Briefly summarized, he was wounded during the 1st WW and ultimately
died of Spanish flu in 1918. This translates as:

1. 50 years of copyright
2. 30 years because he died for France
3. 6 years and 152 days for the duration of WW1
4. 8 years and 120 days for WW2

Total 94 years and 272 days.

Do not ask me how WW1 ended lasting over 6 years, and WW2 over 8
years. It may be that dates of formal declarations of war and of the
peace treaties were taken as end points.

As the French newspaper quoted about concludes, this son of a Polish
mother and Italian father died for France with Spanish flu...

Jean-Claude Guédon
Professeur titulaire
Littérature comparée
Université de Montréal



Le mardi 23 septembre 2014 à 19:14 -0400, LIBLICENSE a écrit :

From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:13:23 -0500

I had not known before about the extension of copyright for another 15
years (beyond author's life plus 70) that the French government
enacted to account for the duration of the two world wars. I wonder if
any other European governments have followed suit? I'm not sure what
the logic of this extension is, but in this case it can't be blamed on
Mickey Mouse!

Sandy Thatcher


> From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 17:52:39 -0400
>
> An entirely noble music radio station, WMNR in Monroe CT, all
> classical music, all volunteer, a great station to listen to on the
> internet -- not part of the NPR world for the most part -- brings me
> this afternoon an announcer telling a digested version of the linked
> story below -- about the real-world case of what has happened to the
> royalties of Maurice Ravel since his death in 1937.
>
> "Bolero" still makes big bucks, you see, and so it seems that my own
> contributions to WMNR are even now, as I listen to "Bolero",
> contributing to those royalties.  Decide for yourself the benefit to
> society that comes from the way this particular money droppeth like
> the gentle rain from heaven upon today's beneficiaries. A fascinating
> article...
>
> http://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/apr/25/arts.highereducation
>
> Jim O'Donnell
> Georgetown