[Foundation-l] Wikisource and the Handbook of Mathematical Functions

Thu Nov 24 09:20:29 UTC 2005

kelvSYC wrote:

> Sorry if I'm in the wrong list in this matter, but I'm just too lazy  
> to subscribe to the Wikisource list just for the sake of one  
> message.  Anyways, I want to add the Handbook of Mathematical  
> Functions (or a wikified version therein) by Abramowitz and Stegun in  
> Wikisource, but I am not too sure whether legal issues would preclude  
> its inclusion.
>
> According to [[w:Abramowitz and Stegun]], it is not protected by  
> copyright, as it is a product of American government employees acting  
> in official capacity, but it has been commercially reproduced.  Free  
> copies of the handbook are available online, according to its  
> external links version.
>
> Advice on the matter is greatly appreciated. 

It's clearly in the public domain; there is no mention of copyright at 
the beginning of the book. In that time a notice was a precondition to 
being copyright.  The fact that it has been commercially reproduced does 
not take it out of the public domain.  If you are taking the material 
from a commercial reproduction, only material (such as an introduction) 
that they have added could be protected.

Ec