I want to put up some Soviet books online for non-commercial (archival purposes). However, the law is very unclear on this.Pre-1973 works were apparently not copyrighted, but it's possible that they were retroactively copyrighted by Russia when it ascended to the Berne convention. However, books released by Soviet authors (in the USSR specifically, and in the Baltics) also gave perpetual rights to the state.There are other problems as well. In some cases, a work is considered a work done by several people. Let's say a graphics designer, the writer/translator, the person who created the type for the book. Apparently the copyright for those kinds of works expires 70 years after the death of the last living author.Does this actually apply to books? It seems like an outrageous law. Note, what I want to publish are old political books. The Soviet republics they were printed in are not considered successor states to the USSR. So what now?Yes, I know the chance of getting sued for this is unlikely, but I don't want to risk it. I legitimately do not have the money to pay for any damages.In some cases, I can't even find out who translated a work. But there are companies here who specifically seek out various published old works and sue the people who published them (because they get to earn a part of the 'damages' to whoever inherited the work). It has already happened before, although only when it was used for commercial reasons.
>>23827368This sounds like something even lawyers would argue about. You sound like you want to be on the safe side: So don't put them up.
>>23827381It's a big shame.
>>23827525Yeah, it's a cruel world out there.
>>23827547Yup, it's really sad.
lmao who gives a shit about Russia, just do it anyway
If you're not sure about the legality, the safest option is to do it illegally. Upload them to Libgen.https://annas-archive.org/faq#upload
>>23827368Ask here, he's been doing it for years:https://eregime.jcink.net/index.php?s=67a45096ccb657d665faa9fa4ba6865a&showforum=719https://archive.org/details/@ismail_badiou
>>23827811Does he have an email or something?
>>23827896Just ask in this thread, you can post anonymously https://eregime.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=17379&st=0
>>23827368If you live in Russia or Belarus(e), ad perhaps China, don't do it. If not, I doubt any western country will enforce any imagined soviet copyright mess, even more so now. Why not just release them anonymously anyway?
>>23828335It's a lot of work so I want to have bragging rights.
