Are there rules republishing another authors work?

[BDSMGromit]

I have a saved copy of a story another author wrote; it was on the BDSM Library. Can I republish it and give the original author credit with my edits? The site is defunct, and I've been unable to locate the story anywhere else. The story is good; I think it is worth saving. It will require some editing, as it references sex with minors, but other than that, it's a good story.

Thought? I've been unable to locate the original author, so I do not have permission to republish it.

 

[dirk2024]

No.

 

[EmilyMiller]

No.

This

 

[SimonDoom]

No. The Site's official policy is that it respects the copyrights of the original authors. If you were to do what you proposed to do, you would be violating the author's copyright and violating site policy.

 

[MrPixel]

No.

Well, yes, if you are prepared to wait 95 years after it was published to do it.

Otherwise, still "no".

 

[BDSMGromit]

Too bad, I wonder how many other good stories have been lost to defunct sites.

 

[old_prof]

Too bad, I wonder how many other good stories have been lost to defunct sites.

Treasures for the archaeologists...

 

[dirk2024]

Too bad, I wonder how many other good stories have been lost to defunct sites.

It is a sad reality when a creative effort disappears.

But it's also a matter of respecting the originator of said creative piece, to honor their thoughts and intentions. If they are no longer around, then we don't know what they want. So we leave them, and their works, in peace.

 

[Cagivagurl]

Respect is a good choice of word...

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

'No' may be too restrictive.

As you wrote your post, probably not.

With more extensive editing to the point of a basic rewrite, maybe. Take the basic premise, fix it for Lit, change the character names and settings, re-word the scenes enough to make it more yours than theirs ....



LOTS of that kind of thing here.

 

[PennameWombat]

Treasures for the archaeologists...

Unfortunately, probably not.

There's a possibility that this era will leave rather large gaps of information, in that much won't actually be preserved. Most electronic storage media degrades unless electronically refreshed. Also, if the defunct website was using hosted storage, once it quit paying its bills, the physical disks would've been reassigned to other users. If they had in-house, then they likely were either sold off for parts and reused, or destroyed.

And anything on 'obsolete' media, like, oh, eight inch and three and a half inch floppy disks... just try to read those.

The paper that survives will have references to "online," and "social media," and "websites," and the cockroach archaeologists will simply shrug.

"They were mysterious beings, those humans. No wonder they destroyed themselves."

 

[Britva415]

"No," there are no rules, or, "no," don't you do this?

 

[ElectricBlue]

The paper that survives will have references to "online," and "social media," and "websites," and the cockroach archaeologists will simply shrug.

"They were mysterious beings, those humans. No wonder they destroyed themselves."

That's the premise of a classic post-apocalypse sci-fi novel, The Canticles of Leibowitz. A religious order sanctifies old and incredibly fragile blue-prints, and over the course of the novel we discover that they're circuit diagrams - a completely lost technology, and completely meaningless to the monks.

 

[StillStunned]

That's the premise of a classic post-apocalypse sci-fi novel, The Canticles of Leibowitz. A religious order sanctifies old and incredibly fragile blue-prints, and over the course of the novel we discover that they're circuit diagrams - a completely lost technology, and completely meaningless to the monks.

In "Hiero's Journey", a psionic/ranger priest is sent on a mission in a post-apocalyptic world to find a "computer" to help his people against their enemies. In the end he finds a set of books on "The Principles of Computer Design". By the end of the second book his people have built the computer and it's designed warships and canon for them.

It was written in 1973, so at the time it was presumably plausible that computers could do anything, while also be simple enough to build by a society that's essentially regressed to a Renaissance state.

 

[Bamagan]

Unfortunately, probably not.

There's a possibility that this era will leave rather large gaps of information, in that much won't actually be preserved. Most electronic storage media degrades unless electronically refreshed. Also, if the defunct website was using hosted storage, once it quit paying its bills, the physical disks would've been reassigned to other users. If they had in-house, then they likely were either sold off for parts and reused, or destroyed.

And anything on 'obsolete' media, like, oh, eight inch and three and a half inch floppy disks... just try to read those.

The paper that survives will have references to "online," and "social media," and "websites," and the cockroach archaeologists will simply shrug.

"They were mysterious beings, those humans. No wonder they destroyed themselves."

On the 'upside', they'll have a truly tremendous amount of buried garbage to puzzle over.

 

[RocketGrunt]

I have a saved copy of a story another author wrote; it was on the BDSM Library. Can I republish it and give the original author credit with my edits? The site is defunct, and I've been unable to locate the story anywhere else. The story is good; I think it is worth saving. It will require some editing, as it references sex with minors, but other than that, it's a good story.

Thought? I've been unable to locate the original author, so I do not have permission to republish it.

Sadly, you are not allowed to republish someone else's work and there is no other mechanism to recover works that are lost in this way.

If you can locate the original author, you can potentially get permission to edit or republish, but if you can't find them you're stuck in a bind where you don't have the rights you need to republish and so the art is left to molder and fade.

You can rewrite the thing yourself, and then it's a legally distinct thing that you own. But yeah, the way our intellectual property protection system protects the power of IP owning corporations while literally forcing us to allow art to languish in obscurity is fucked. But that's the legal system we live in.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

No.

Well, yes, if you are prepared to wait 95 years after it was published to do it.

Otherwise, still "no".

Timely, since some classics have recently fallen into the public domain, including:

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
The first four Nancy Drew books
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

There is a recent article on how to make money publishing public domain stories on Amazon. I'm not aware of any stories on Literotica being old enough to be considered in the public domain (although sometimes I feel old enough that some of my stories might qualify).

 

[Belegon]

"No," there are no rules, or, "no," don't you do this?

Don't do this.

 

[Belegon]

In "Hiero's Journey", a psionic/ranger priest is sent on a mission in a post-apocalyptic world to find a "computer" to help his people against their enemies. In the end he finds a set of books on "The Principles of Computer Design". By the end of the second book his people have built the computer and it's designed warships and canon for them.

It was written in 1973, so at the time it was presumably plausible that computers could do anything, while also be simple enough to build by a society that's essentially regressed to a Renaissance state.

Sometimes simply the acknowledgement that something is possible will spark creative interest in the direction that eventually could lead to a discovery of a new technology. It's an interesting idea to ponder, at least.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There is a recent article on how to make money publishing public domain stories on Amazon. I'm not aware of any stories on Literotica being old enough to be considered in the public domain (although sometimes I feel old enough that some of my stories might qualify).

Public domain depends on the country of origin, but is generally 50 or 70 years, I think. So nothing on Lit would come close, not until 2048 or 2068. I believe in the US it's 70 years.

 

[lovecraft68]

I understand enjoying a story, and being inspired by it. I've never understood wanting to basically rewrite one with enough changes to make it yours.
Just write yours and give your own spin on some of the elements you liked about it, but adding your own ideas and style.

 

[LegendInMyOwnMind]

How Long Does Copyright Protection Last?​

How long does a copyright last?

The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. For works first published prior to 1978, the term will vary depending on several factors. To determine the length of copyright protection for a particular work, consult chapter 3 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the United States Code). More information on the term of copyright can be found in Circular 15a, Duration of Copyright, and Circular 1, Copyright Basics.

Do I have to renew my copyright?

No. Works created on or after January 1, 1978, are not subject to renewal registration. As to works published or registered prior to January 1, 1978, renewal registration is optional after 28 years but does provide certain legal advantages. For information on how to file a renewal application as well as the legal benefit for doing so, see Circular 15, Renewal of Copyright, and Circular 15a, Duration of Copyright.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Public domain depends on the country of origin, but is generally 50 or 70 years, I think. So nothing on Lit would come close, not until 2048 or 2078. I believe in the US it's 70 years.

This relates more to someone wanting to take an existing classic story (Nancy Drew Mysteries, etc.) and use it to create something more erotic, or to add or significantly modify it for publication on Amazon or the like.

Once it falls out of the public domain, they would be free to do so. I agree that nothing on Literotica would fall under this, but there are other sources for material if someone was interested.

 

[lovecraft68]

This relates more to someone wanting to take an existing classic story (Nancy Drew Mysteries, etc.) and use it to create something more erotic, or to add or significantly modify it for publication on Amazon or the like.

Once it falls out of the public domain, they would be free to do so. I agree that nothing on Literotica would fall under this, but there are other sources for material if someone was interested.

CW tried a Nancy Drew series, I think it went two seasons and it was flat out so bad you'd think someone would try to get the rights back so it couldn't happen.