> Original works are covered by a term of 70 years after the author's death.
> In the case of a collaborative effort, that is 70 years after the
> longest-lived of the authors. There seem to be a few grandfather clauses
> active as well.
At least in the case of car styles, I believe the courts have ruled that
"derivative" works are not copyright violations, as long as they differ in
some detail from the original. Ferrari defends their "prancing pony"
vigorously, but that's covered by trademark law (which is more general than
copyright law). Numerous "kit car" makers were using molds literally made
from original cars, AFAIK none has ever been found guilty of copyright
violation for doing so. Of course, most do not have the financial resources
to fight a protracted court case, so most cases are settled out of court.
Randall
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