This pre-1953 Japanese film or image thereof, directed by a person who died more than 38 years ago, is now in the public domain.
This is because in July 2006, a Japanese court ruled that all films produced in Japan prior to 1953 were exempt from a change of copyright law changing the term for cinematographic works from 50 years after publication to 70 years. [1][2][3].
However, the Tokyo District Court ruled on 17 September 2007 that films by Akira Kurosawa (died 1998) remain copyrighted until 2036, ruling that an older pre-1971 law applies. That old law kept copyright protection for 38 years after the creator's death.
In 2008, the Intellectual Property High Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The report states the "Japanese Intellectual Property High Court ruling that establishes the Tokyo District Court's September 2007 decision to be correct," and that "the preceding judge Nobuyoshi Tanaka is quoted as stressing that 'the copyright over films is protected for 38 years from the year after the death of the director.'"
Please note that public domain works must be out of copyright in both the United States and in the source country of the work in order to be hosted on the Commons. The file must have an additional copyright tag indicating the copyright status in the United States. See also Copyright rules by territory.
According to Articles 39 to 44 of the Copyright Act of the Republic of Korea, under the jurisdiction of the Government of the Republic of Korea all copyrighted works enter the public domain 70 years after the death of the creator (there being multiple creators, the creator who dies last) or 70 years after publication when made public in the name of an organization. (30 years for death before 1957, 50 years before July 2013)
This applies to copyrighted works of which authors died before 1 January 1963, or made public in the name of an organization before 1 January 1963.
Furthermore, with the exceptions of photographs reproducing otherwise copyrighted works of art, and photographs inserted into a work of study or art and produced only for the purpose of inclusion within said work, photographs or other works of a similar form to photography either published or produced in negative on or before 31 December 1976 are now in the public domain in the Republic of Korea as their term of copyright has expired there.
There are exceptional cases. Property rights are to belong to the state according to provisions of the Civil Law and other laws upon the death of a copyright owner without heir or, in the case of a legal person or organization, upon its dissolution. The product must also be in the public domain in the United States.
Parallel zu dieser Lizenz muss auch ein Lizenzbaustein für die United States public domain gesetzt werden, um anzuzeigen, dass dieses Werk auch in den Vereinigten Staaten gemeinfrei ist. Beachte bitte auch, dass einige wenige Länder eine Schutzfrist von mehr als 70 Jahren haben: in Mexiko sind es 100 Jahre, 95 in Jamaika, 80 in Kolumbien; Guatemala und Samoa haben jeweils 75 Jahre, Werke aus der Sowjetunion haben 74 Jahre Schutzfrist für bestimmte Autoren. Diese Datei ist eventuell nicht gemeinfrei in den genannten Ländern, die darüber hinaus nicht den Schutzfristenvergleich anwenden. Die Honduras hat eine allgemeine Schutzfrist von 75 Jahren, aber in diesem Land wird der Schutzfristenvergleich angewandt.
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