United States Copyright law underwent many changes over the last 100 years. Under the latest changes which took effect March 1, 1989 -- a notice of copyright is no longer required for a work to be copyrighted. In fact, the copyright automatically occurs when the work is first created -- regardless of whether a copyright notice is present in the work -- or -- whether or not the copyright is ever registered with the United States copyright office. Publication of written works also comes into play -- however, 'publication' for copyright purposes includes either the sale or other transfer of ownership of copies of the work. Read more here.

Bottom line the manual is almost certainly copyrighted -- and the copyright almost certainly remains in effect and is currently the legal property of someone -- even though the company involved may have gone out of business.

I recommend that you contact the Secretary of State's office for the state in which the company last had its headquarters. They should be able to tell you who the principles of the now-defunct business are/were. One or more of them most likely holds the copyright to the manual which you wish to sell.

Click above Link(s) (if any) for additional information.

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Good Luck!

Steve


Edited by Oreport on October 10 2006 at 4:12 AM

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