Suffice to say, that anything Taika published is STILL copyrighted. It doesn't matter if he had an official 'Certificate of Copyright Registration from the US Copyright Office or another governing body. The government web site states quite plainly that just publishing something, such as this blog, automatically gives it a copyright. You don't need a piece of paper or certificate from a government entity. They do provide the service as a) they make money from it, and b) it makes things a little quicker when a civil suit is filed. BUT IT IS NOT REQUIRED.
As I am scanning tens of thousands of historical documents for the Oyata family, I have run across several of these. The one below is for Taika's first published book on Tuite, Tuite: Basic Techniques Nahanchi 1, 2, and 3. People who are ignorant of the law have started posting his old videos (I have those certificates as well) and his written works online. Copyrights do not go invalid just because the author dies. They are valid for 70 years after the LAST author dies. Non-Believers Click Here. Note: That is the US governments web site. If the copyright was published by Taika Seiyu Oyata AND Oyata Enterprises guess what, Oyata Enterprises still exists. So that 70 year clock starts after the business, still run by the Oyata family, calls it quits and dissolves the organization. You think Coca-Cola would not come after you for using some of their copyrighted (or trademarked - another story) works? That company was formed in 1886. You think the founder is still alive?
Why is this coming up? Well, people are ignorant of the laws. That is not saying they are stupid. But ignorant in real life can get you hurt, injured and in the civil world, sued. So please, try some of the links and educate yourself. I have been sent a lot of links to copyrighted material lately, and one such site was a blog with the above book on it. This gentlemen, was quite ignorant on the laws but has now taken down the above book before any litigation followed. Looking around his site and others though, I see throughout the web a rash of copyright infringements. Thousands of people online feel it is no big deal to scan a book, an article, a magazine and other publications and put them online. Even magazines that are 'no longer in business' most likely have an owner somewhere that has the legal rights to that publication. Don't risk it. Get the permission or just refer to it. The Oyata family has been 'nice' in giving people time to remove these illegal publications and educate themselves. This strategy has worked so far. Many of Taika's older works will be republished in upcoming historical releases, so people publishing those works online now are financially hurting the family. If you publish works that are not yours, you risk a lawsuit that can financially devastate yourself and your family.
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