Public Domain - Old Radio Plays

[Traditional_Ale]

I found a website with free downloads or streaming of all the Dragnet episodes and it claims the material is public domain. But the Wiki and other searches turn up nothing. Does anyone happen to know about this kind of thing or how to find out?

DL/Streaming Site:
http://www.archive.org/details/Dragnet_OTR

Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragnet_%28series%29

[To Be Quite Honest]

Another great one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLpR7...watch_response

[vanisleflamesfan]

I would doubt that they would in fact be public domain. In order for them to be public domain the copyrights would have to have expired. In the United States (I am assuming that these shows were created by an American) copyrights expire 70 years after the death of the last remaining creator.

I really have no idea who created these radio shows or when he/she/they died, but I am willing to bet that it is less than 70 years ago.

Of course, there could be other circumstances which have led to the copyrights being ceded by the estate of the original holders, but you would think that the website that is claiming public domain would explain these circumstances, as they would be unusual.

[getbak]

Here's another site's take on the matter: http://www.radiolovers.com/copyrights.html

we have checked with the Library of Congress regarding the status of old time radio recordings made prior to 1978, and have been informed by their staff that all such recordings are generally in the public domain, as sound recordings were not allowed under the previous copyright law and that such recordings have not been granted copyright status under the new laws (since to change their status and move them out of the Public Domain would be a violation of Ex-Post-Facto). Once a piece is placed into the public domain for any reason, it remains there legally unless someone brings a case to the Supreme Court to decide otherwise.

It appears that sound recordings weren't protected under copyright at the time they were broadcast, and their scripts wouldn't have ever been published, so they wouldn't be covered either.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Wow... I had no idea. That is really interesting. Thanks!!