Use of Quotations. (Copyright etc.)

Billytwice · May 21, 2014

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but here goes:

I am thinking about branching out of the poetry forum where I usually hang out and trying my hand at a book of sea tales. I'd like to use four lines from a nautical poem. Two to start the thing off and two to close.
(lines from Sea Fever by John Masefield.)

I'm not sure on the legality of doing this even if the poem was written in or before 1902?
John Masefield passed away in 1967.
The copyright should have expired by now surely?

I would of course give credit to the author for the use of the lines, but how or who would I need to contact for permission to use them?

Any ideas/comments please?

William Haskins · May 21, 2014

sea fever is listed/posted on a number of sites that claim it is in the public domain (which is not ironclad, but is encouraging).

with proper attribution, you should be fine.

example:

http://www.public-domain-poetry.com/john-masefield/sea-fever-3043

Marlys · May 21, 2014

Depends on where you want to publish it. In the UK, copyright extends for the life of the author +70 years. So if Masefield died in 1967, his works won't be in public domain until after 2037.

But in the US, everything published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain. As long as the poem was published over here in or before 1922, you can quote as much of it as you like.

So you wouldn't need permission if you publish your work in the US, but almost certainly would in the UK.

To find out who currently owns the copyright of Masefield's works in the UK, you might look for a recent edition of his poems and see if there's a note about it.

Billytwice · May 21, 2014

Thanks guys, food for thought there.

The lines I wanted to use would be a perfect lead in and out, but thinking about it I'd probably be better off penning a couple of my own lines or at least looking at other published works that use this device to see how they did it.

Many thanks for your input, cheers.

Use of Quotations. (Copyright etc.)

Billytwice

William Haskins

poet

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Billytwice