Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Missouri

Written unpublished works that have not been registered for copyright have a copyright length of 71 years after the death of the author. During the 71 years could I publish the works with permission from the heirs? Put another way, do heirs have the legal authority to grant permission for publishing the written-and-previously-unpublished works? Thanks.


Asked on 11/08/11, 2:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bruce Burdick Burdick Law Firm

Yes, provided there was no previous assignment of the copyright. The term of a copyright by an individual is life + 70 years, not 71 years, meaning unpublished works whose author died prior to 1941 are public domain.

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Answered on 11/08/11, 11:30 pm


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