Authors such as Stephen King and Judy Blume will soon be able to reclaim works they published 35 years ago. An article on paidcontent.org investigates a relatively unknown law that will soon come into effect and could redirect the publishing industry’s business paradigm.
“The law in question is Section 203 of the 1978 Copyright Act which allows authors to cut away any contract after 35 years. Congress put it in place to protect young artists who signed away future best sellers for a pittance.”
This law is complicated, laden with stipulations, and most publishing mills are declining to talk about about it. They are afraid of losing their cash cows and want to keep the 1978 Copyright Act under wraps. But with all the recent publicity this law is getting, it is unlikely it will stay a secret for long.
