Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes (1854–1957, according to William S. Baring-Gould) is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases.

The Sherlock Holmes copyright

The copyright of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works and of the Sherlock Holmes character were predominately held by his descendants starting first with his son Adrian Doyle. After Adrian's death in 1972 Dame Jean Conan Doyle (Conan Doyle's daughter) and the other descendants sold the rights to Baskerville Investments, a firm fronted by the surviving wife of Doyle's eldest son. The Bank of Scotland took over the rights after a loan defaulted and auctioned them off to the television producer Sheldon Reynolds. In 1981 the copyright expired everywhere except for the United States. Dame Jean, with the assistance of the Baker Street Irregulars, claimed the US rights to those works not yet in the public domain. Her Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate both licensed and defended the Sherlock Holmes character by requiring royalties and famously sued the producers of ', Meitantai Holmes and the movie The Young Sherlock Holmes for their unauthorized direct portrayals of Holmes. In 1999 Plunket, Reynolds' surviving wife, was refused a US trademark for Sherlock Holmes. In 2001 all but one of the remaining works were released into public domain and the Estate of Dame Jean requested that voluntary royalties be forwarded to children's charities in the United Kingdom. The Case Book is the only work with an outstanding US copyright and will pass into the public domain between 2016 and 2023.

Related Topics:
Copyright - 1972 - Jean Conan Doyle - 1981 - Baker Street Irregulars - Public domain - 2001 - 2016 - 2023

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