Illustrations from the 1940s

[Jon Hicks]

Hello!

I've been reading up on Copyright law on illustrations, and wondered if anyone could clarify my findings?

Firstly, I've got a encyclopedia from 1946, and there is an illustration in there that I would like to use as decoration on a website. The book was published and illustrated in the UK. The publisher (Odhams books) seem to be no longer in business (or probably bought out by another publisher, or an imprint that has been closed down).

From the research I've done, and as I understand it, the image stays in copyright for 50 years after its creation, which would allow me to use it. Can anyone offer clarification or correction?

[CopyrightAid]

There's no simple answer here, as it depends on a number of factors:

If the author is unknown it would be 70 years from publication. If the author is known but died more than 20 years before publication (unlikely) it can be 50 years from publication, otherwise it is 70 years from the death of the author.


Theres a handy reference I use for these types of questions: http://www.museumscopyright.org.uk/private.pdf

[Jon Hicks]

Ah! I was looking at a similar pdf, but it was for crown copyright only, and didn't apply. So it is 70 years - thanks for the confirmation!