Copyright and Dracula

6 February 2013 · In Custodia Legis / Library of Congress

Margaret Wood

Bram Stoker Estate account · Original source: English

Estate summary

Margaret Wood investigates the claim that Dracula lacked US copyright registration. Her search in the Copyright Office’s historical card catalogue finds entries under Stoker’s name and a record of deposited copies. The feature offers a useful account of checking the evidence, illustrated with a 1938 Federal Theatre Project Dracula poster.

Library of Congress In Custodia Legis, 6 February 2013. The relevant account of a historical card-catalogue search was inspected. It is not current legal advice or a claim that every edition or adaptation has identical rights. The 1938 poster is the exact Library of Congress illustration.

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1938 Dracula poster with a yellow bat and Mason Opera House lettering. — Federal Theatre Project poster for Dracula at the Mason Opera House, Los Angeles, 1938; the illustration used in the Library of Congress feature.Federal Art Project / Library of Congress, item98519047. No known restrictions on publication.