NoteWorthy Composer Forum

Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Malcolm on 2000-08-09 04:00 AM

Title: Gershwin
Post by: Malcolm on 2000-08-09 04:00 AM
is his music in the public domain in Australia?
what about the United States?
Title: Re: Gershwin
Post by: Grant on 2000-08-10 04:00 AM
Don't know about Australia, but in the U.S. anything written before 1925 should now be in public domain. This would include "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924), but not, say, "An American in Paris" (1927) or "Porgy and Bess" (1935).
Title: Re: Gershwin
Post by: Malcolm on 2000-08-10 04:00 AM
Is there an index of public domain works?
Title: Re: Gershwin
Post by: John Gillings on 2000-08-14 04:00 AM
>Don't know about Australia, but in the U.S. anything
>written before 1925 should now be in public domain

This does not match my understanding of Australian
Copyright law. I believe that works revert to public domain
50 years after the death of the composer, independent of
the date the work was written. So, anything written by
anyone who died prior to 1950 is safe. George Gershwin
died in 1937.

I'd get this checked out with a real lawyer before doing
anything potentially actionable...
Title: Re: Gershwin
Post by: johnti on 2000-08-15 04:00 AM
Hi All, I'm also interested in Malcolm's question:
is there a register of public domain works anywhere in the world?