Who Holds The Copyright For 1984 Citations And Quotes?

I am keeping a close eye on the copyright status of ‘1984’ because this is one of the books that I refer to frequently in discussions about issues of censorship and surveillance. The novel by George Orwell is a foundation of the dystopian fiction genre and currently the property of The Orwell Estate. Orwell died in 1950 so that means that the copyright will have expired 70 years after his death in most countries. In the EU and in the UK the copyright duration is for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years and therefore 1984 has gone into the public domain in these countries on 21st January 2021. However in the US the rules regarding copyright of old works are somewhat different and it will not go into the public domain until 2044. As a result of this it is still necessary to check the copyright status of quotes from the book and to seek permission to use longer extracts from the novel even for purposes of criticism or review. Typically the copyright holder allows short extracts to be used under the term fair use but then prohibits reproduction of the work as a whole. (Note that the Estate have famously tried to prevent the use of the word ‘Orwellian’ in political criticism for example.)

However, as more and more copies of ‘1984’ are released digitally, including by pirate sites, the Orwell Estate is vigilantly monitoring platforms for unauthorized reproductions of the work and taking all necessary steps to halt them. Meanwhile, the interests of many an educator and literary critic are opposed to the restrictive nature of copyright and how it stifles the cultural and learning values of society in respect of this particularly notable work, exploring as it does the issues of censorship and surveillance which are of increasing relevance to our own information age.

As someone who loves classic literature, it is fascinating to learn how copyright law has impacted many of these well-loved novels. George Orwell’s 1984 is no exception to this rule. The Orwell Estate has been very protective of the author and his work since his death in 1950. The copyright for 1984 has expired in many countries around the world, but not yet in the U.S. where it won’t expire until 2044. For this reason, famous quotes from the book cannot be used freely in publications here. However, as with all copyrighted material, there is fair use which allows for short excerpts to be used in reviews and analysis of the work.

In many ways Orwell’s complaints about the way information was restricted in his futuristic society are at odds with the restrictions placed upon the text itself. Fans of the book along with a host of scholars wish to find ways to unlock the novel and the restrictions which surround it. While quoting a few lines in a non-commercial work is probably safe enough to print, reproducing even a few chapters will require its own careful journey through the legal landscape currently occupied by the Orwell Estate. The balance between ensuring the author’s legacy is suitably preserved and allowing these important works of literature to be as freely available as possible is an ongoing one.

The copyright for ‘1984’ by George Orwell is held by his estate. As ‘1984’ was a published work in 1949 under copyright it would normally have run for 70 years after the death of the author, which in this case was 1950. This would have meant that the work would have come out of copyright in 2020 in most countries. However, as with many other things, copyright laws vary from country to country and some countries have extended the term of copyright. In the U.S. for example, works published in body corporates prior to 1978 have a 95 year copyright term. Therefore although ‘1984’ will come into the public domain in most of the world in 2020, in the U.S.A. it won’t until 2044. The Orwell Estate are however very active in managing the use of quotes from the book and other adaptations, and it is always wise to check with them for permission to use substantial extracts of the book.