: Are translated Basho poems copyrighted? I'm wondering if translated works of ancient poems are in the public domain, or if they're copyrighted by the translators. It would seem like if the author

I'm wondering if translated works of ancient poems are in the public domain, or if they're copyrighted by the translators.

It would seem like if the author on a given work is listed as "Basho", then that work is in the public domain. Is there a convention for this, or another way to tell other than acquiring the book and checking the copyright notice?

For instance, might this website be violating copyright law by publishing translations by Robert Hass? www.poemhunter.com/matsuo-basho/poems/

Load Full (1)

: Eliminating the Dash in Prose Writing I have been accused â€” shock, horror â€” of using the dash (the one that indicates a three-quarters pause) too much in my fiction. Thing is â€” I quite

@Dunderdale623

Load Full 4 Comments

: Writing on the sides of Buildings I sometimes see poetry and art and word-based graffiti on the sides of prominent buildings and it's often inspiring and sometimes wonderful to see this. A couple

@Dunderdale623

Load Full 2 Comments

: The values of the Middle Ages existed for more reasons than church dogma. For example, sleeping with a girl before marrying her meant a fair chance of her getting pregnant. Which was also

@Dunderdale623

Load Full 0 Comments

: Is head-hopping always bad? The general consensus nowadays seems to be that being in the head of more than one character is bad. We should be "on the shoulders" or "in the head" of one character,

@Dunderdale623

Load Full 6 Comments

Login to post a comment!

1 Comments

Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best

@Dunderdale623

This site here says that the copyright for a translation of a work that is in the public domain belongs to the translator.

It makes sense, if you think about it. Consider: if I translate, for example, the Iliad, I'd have to put lots and lots of creative effort into it, and also research etc. That's a lot of work-hours. I'd want to get paid for it, right? But if there's no copyright, then anyone can just republish the thing for free, not even mention my name, perhaps get paid for it instead of me. Not really fair, is it?

That said, some translations are themselves old enough to be in the public domain. Look here for some translations of the Iliad from 1581 onwards, for example. Most of those would be public domain by now.

Load Full (0)

Feed

: Are translated Basho poems copyrighted? I'm wondering if translated works of ancient poems are in the public domain, or if they're copyrighted by the translators. It would seem like if the author

More posts by @Dunderdale623

: Eliminating the Dash in Prose Writing I have been accused â€” shock, horror â€” of using the dash (the one that indicates a three-quarters pause) too much in my fiction. Thing is â€” I quite

: Writing on the sides of Buildings I sometimes see poetry and art and word-based graffiti on the sides of prominent buildings and it's often inspiring and sometimes wonderful to see this. A couple

: The values of the Middle Ages existed for more reasons than church dogma. For example, sleeping with a girl before marrying her meant a fair chance of her getting pregnant. Which was also

: Is head-hopping always bad? The general consensus nowadays seems to be that being in the head of more than one character is bad. We should be "on the shoulders" or "in the head" of one character,

Login to post a comment!

1 Comments

Back to top