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Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?

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MariaHobbit
Post subject: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Mon 18 Jan , 2010 7:15 pm
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Robert E. Howard came up with the idea of Conan the Barbarian 1932. It's now 78 years later, and they are talking about making a new Conan movie. My understanding of the copyright laws is that 75 years after creation, the copyright to a particular work is over. However, the Conan name has been generating new works the whole time since then as books and movies and comics.

So, what I'm wondering is: now that the original Conan copyright is up, do the people who are making the new movie have to answer to anybody? Or do the intermediate authors have some kind of copyright hold on the name since they presumably had permission to use the character and name in their work which is still under copyright?

Or is the name free for all to use now, but the stories in the stuff that is still under copyright can't be used without permission?

I'm just wondering. The whole copyright thing is a bit weird.

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LalaithUrwen
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Mon 18 Jan , 2010 7:43 pm
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I'd have to research it to confirm, but I believe the family can take steps to retain the copyrights for certain things. If Howard's family didn't do that, though, then I think it becomes public domain.

??

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Ara-anna
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Mon 18 Jan , 2010 7:44 pm
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Arnold? :shrug:

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MariaHobbit
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Mon 18 Jan , 2010 7:55 pm
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I think the original copyrights are up 75 years after creation or 50 years after the death of the author. Since the author died in 1936, and Arnold's first Conan movie was in 1982- then there were only 4 years left on the copyright back then. I'm thinking perhaps the heirs did make some kind of deal to keep the copyright alive, or the movie makers could have waited the 4 years and not even needed permission.

But, maybe they needed a good movie idea for Arnold right then, and it couldn't wait 4 years. :shrug:

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sauronsfinger
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Mon 18 Jan , 2010 10:58 pm
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In the mid Seventies, I purchased the rights to use the character and name of the Conan character for two posters and an art portfolio of paintings. This was done with the Robert E. Howard Estate. At that time it was operated by Glenn Lord. There is a wikipedia entry for him if you want to find out more about him. While we produced and sold the posters, the art portfolio was never completed when the artist never did the work and I sold the company. At that time, I was rather surprised at how inexpensive the rights were.

you may want to start here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._ ... 27s_legacy

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MariaHobbit
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Tue 19 Jan , 2010 3:31 pm
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Thanks, SF. That's an interesting article. I didn't quite understand how Le Sprague de Camp was able to copyright some of the Conan stuff when Howard's copyrights expired, or how Howard's heirs were able to retain ownership of the idea after the copyrights expired- but it looks like a company called Paradox Entertainment now owns 85% of the rights to Howard's stuff, even though it should be public domain by now. :scratch:

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sauronsfinger
Post subject: Re: Copyrights- Who owns Conan the Barbarian?
Posted: Tue 19 Jan , 2010 6:16 pm
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Thats about all I can tell you Maria not being an attorney. I have been out of that business - publishing - for some time now and have not kept up. If Conan is in danger of becoming public domain what about Mickey Mouse? You would think that would happen even before Conan. For some reason, I believe there are ways to take a character and extend legal protections on that character long after the normal copyright period expires. But that is just a sense I have and no legal opinion. Wikipedia has a lengthy list of links that may (or may not) be helpful in their article on copyright. You may want to look at that.

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There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs. - John Rogers


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