Dayton, OH asked in Copyright for Ohio

Q: Can you publish a book as a sequel to a CS Lewis series not in public domain? No changes were made to his original work.

Chronicles of Narnia: Susan was left behind in the final book "The Last Battle". Lewis recognized the story was incomplete in a 1960 letter to Pauline Bannister and suggested she finish it. This is my attempt to do just that and complete Susan's story. I was very careful to make no changes to his original work. I could footnote any references I made to the story lines as they occur as part of Susan's memories of events she experienced if that would make a difference. I have no quotes from the original in my version. The Narnia books begin to enter public domain between 2030-2045. Since I'm 65 years old, that could be a problem. LOL Any suggestions/advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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2 Lawyer Answers
Joseph Jaap
Joseph Jaap
Answered
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Licensed in Ohio

A: There is a lot of fan fiction published on-line, so it is difficult for the owners of copyrights to monitor all that. But since the Narnia books have been made into movies, the production companies or whoever still owns the rights to those works could take action against you. Use the Find a Lawyer tab to meet with a local intellectual property attorney who can discuss the risks with you.

Marcos Garciaacosta agrees with this answer

1 user found this answer helpful

Marcos Garciaacosta
Marcos Garciaacosta
Answered
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer
  • Mesa, AZ

A: Very high risk. I would advise against it.

You would be better off having a serious agreement and contract with the owners of the original material, heirs or assignees.

best luck

1 user found this answer helpful

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