The material used in his site has been gathered in good faith according to fair use standards with full citations of all sources. Whenever possible, we have attempted to secure permissions for any material that exceeds “fair use” standards. Because of the ephemeral nature of little magazines, it is often difficult to determine who, if anyone, holds the rights to materials published therein. In such an instance, text and images will be considered on loan until someone objects.
More and more modernist magazine publications are moving into the public domain:
- As of 2023, all material published in the USA prior to 1928, regardless of whether or not it bears a copyright notice, resides in the public domain.
- Each year after 2023, the “magic year” before which all USA published material falls into the public domain increases by one, up until we get to 2072. Find out more at Public Domain Day, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School.
- Any material published in the USA between 1928 (as noted above that year advances each after 2023) and 1977 inclusive that lacks a copyright notice is in the public domain.
You can determine whether material is in the public domain by looking at the publication date. No legal expertise, financial expenditure, or queries to the copyright office are required.
If a work published in print is in the public domain, then all “slavish reproductions” (a legal term) of it are also in the public domain, including those on this site. This precedent has been established by a great number of court cases in the USA, which define “slavish reproductions” to include photographs, microfilm, and digital photos and scans.
Thanks to Martin H. Goodman MD, Director, Riazanov Library Digital Archive Projects, for providing this copyright information.