49 Years On (Now 50)

[Anduril]

Our professor died 49 years ago today. All that glitters is not gold, often have you heard that told. But the old that is strong does not wither, and deep roots are not reached by the frost. Deo Optimo Maximo.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

'But you are not for Arda. Whither you go may you find light.
Await us there, my brother - and me.'

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And now it is 50.

"Behold! we are not bound for ever to the circles of the world, and beyond them is more than memory."

[Inanna]

And so 10 more years until the copyright lapses?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Under U.S. law, it is 70 years from the death of the author that material enters the public domain, so 20 years for the works that are solely credited to J.R.R. Tolkien (such as LOTR and The Hobbit). For The Silmarillion, it is possible that Christopher Tolkien would be considered legally a co-author and it would not enter the public domain until 70 years after his death. I am not sure, but I believe the same applies in the UK.

So 20 more years, not 10.

[Aravar]

The period is the same in the UK.

If Christopher Tolkien is regarded as a joint author of the published Silmarillion it would indeed not enter the public domain in the UK until 70 years after his death.

EDIT to add: I'ts possible that Guy Gavriel Kay might also be considered a joint author.

[Inanna]

Ah, 70! For some reason, I remembered 60.

[Eldy]

Christopher is listed separately from the "Tolkien Copyright Trust" (which may or may not be the same thing as the Tolkien Trust, a registered charity in the UK) on the copyright page of many editions of The Silmarillion, UT, and HoMe, so I assume that he is indeed considered a co-author and those works will not enter the public domain in the US until January 1st, 2091, barring future changes to copyright law.