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How Copyright Was Secured for Mark Twain Autobiography

By Sheri Qualters

Copyright lawyers are wondering how the Mark Twain Foundation is claiming a copyright on the first volume of Mark Twain's newly released autobiography despite its publication a century after the author's death, far outside the normal protection window for an unpublished work.

The copyright for works created but not published before Jan. 1, 1978 ' when the Copyright Act of 1976 took effect ' first began expiring on Dec. 31, 2002. The Autobiography of Mark Twain: Volume 1, which was published by the University of California Press, officially went on sale last month. Two other volumes will follow in the next few years.

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