Are classic stories and books that are in the U.S. public domain also in the public domain if in English in India?

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  • Are stories & books like these (which are in the public domain in the U.S.) in the public domain in English in India?

    • The Little Red Hen

    • Little Red Riding Hood

    • Rumpelstiltzkin

    • The Story of the Three Little Pigs

    • The Story of the Three Bears

    • The Story of Doctor Dolittle

    • The Elephant's Child

    • Peter Pan

     

     

  • Maybe someone knows the answer to this question but I don't. We have to look at India copyright law, when these works were originally published, and where the copies in India were published. There could be variations of stories in India that are published. 

    Because these are so old, my guess would be that they are in the public domain but this is only a GUESS.

    Maybe others have comments?

     

    Carrie

     

  • I basically agree with Carrie and will add some additional points.

    Assuming you are in India, you would need to research India's copyright law. The fact that they are in English has no relevance, unless India's copyright law has different provisions for different languages. 

    I'll also note that in the U.S., even when the broad stories (like Little Red Riding Hood) are in the public domain, specific versions could still be under copyright if published more recently. But, like Carrie, I have no knowledge of India's copyright law.

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