Project Gutenberg is no longer fully blocked in Germany

Article summary

Project Gutenberg has settled a 2015 lawsuit and will no longer be fully blocked in Germany, instead only blocking specific works that are still under German copyright law. The settlement allows German users to access most of the project's content. The lawsuit was related to copyright laws in Germany, which have a life + 70 years protection period. This period is longer than in some other countries, including the US, which has a similar protection period but with some exceptions.

Main themes

• Copyright laws
• International treaties
• Public domain
• German legislation
• Extraterritorial jurisdiction
• Intellectual property rights

What commenters say

• German copyright law is too restrictive and stifles access to public domain works.
• The US should not impose its copyright laws on other countries, and Germany's laws should be respected.
• Project Gutenberg was right to block all access to its site in Germany to avoid potential lawsuits and punitive damages.
• The concept of public domain does not exist in Germany, and works can only be considered 'gemeinfrei' 70 years after the author's death.
• International treaties on copyright are ambiguous and open to different interpretations by different countries.
• Germany's copyright laws are not at fault, but rather the legislative system that enforces them.
• The idea that works cannot be dedicated to the public domain in Germany is a trope with no basis in case law.
• Extraterritorial jurisdiction can lead to a dystopian scenario where individuals are subject to multiple conflicting laws and regulations.