I sense something brewing with the issue of incorrectly managed copyright renewals and Public Domain Philip K. Dick stories. We have already seen the news about the producers refusing to finish paying for the rights to Adjustment Team and there are eleven stories that have been put into Project Gutenberg that I have archived on this site also. These facts appear to be generally known.

At SFFaudio.com there have been two articles that makes me believe first that they are researching the topic and second that there are many other short stories that are now in the Public Domain that few people realize. Their article Commentary: Philip K. Dick’s PUBLIC DOMAIN short stories, novelettes and novellas is the most stunning for me. The article details the status of each story and I count twenty-six in the Public Domain with seven more likely.

These are the stories in the Public Domain: Beyond Lies The Wub The Gun The Skull The Defenders Mr. Spaceship Piper In The Woods Second Variety The Eyes Have It The Hanging Stranger Tony And The Beetles Beyond The Door The Crystal Crypt The Golden Man Prominent Author Small Town The Turning Wheel Breakfast At Twilight Exhibit Piece Shell Game Adjustment Team Meddler The Last of the Masters (aka Protection Agency) Progeny Upon The Dull Earth Foster, You’re Dead Human Is These are the stories likely in the Public Domain: Roog James P. Crow Survey Team Time Pawn The Chromium Fence A Surface Raid Vulcan’s Hammer

Another article,Copyfraud by the Philip K. Dick estate for Philip K. Dick stories published in 1954 and 1955, color codes a copyright form and most of the stories are listed to be in publications or issues that they do not appear in. The vividness of this image jumps out at the reader.

This is the list of incorrect entries:

Shell Game James P. Crow The Golden Man Small Town Survey Team Foster, You’re Dead! Upon the Dull Earth The Turning Wheel Prominent Author Sales Pitch Breakfast at Twilight Of Withered Apples Jon’s World The Crawlers Time Pawn A World of Talent Adjustment Team Souvenir Progeny Human Is Meddler The Last of the Masters (aka Protection Agency) Strange Eden Exhibit Piece The Father-thing

There is some overlap but I think that the years covered are 1952-1955 and that the research beyond those years hasn’t occurred yet. At the rate this is going there won’t be much that isn’t in the Public Domain. This would be a huge waste of potential revenue that Electric Shepherd Productions will lose if they no longer own the rights to all these stories. And I’m not aware of the legal aspects or issues if any of the films made have recourse to sue for fraud.