A Unique Exemption In The UK That Turkey Could Emulate
If its early January, it’s time for the latest slew of public domain stories, with Tintin and Popeye among the headline grabbers. But, this being TNPS, we picked up on this story from Turkey, where the entry of works by celebrated Turkish short story writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık into the public domain has raised concerns about the future of funds that rely on his literary legacy.
As of 1 January 2025, Abasıyanık’s works have lost their copyright protection, prompting a renewed interest in his contributions to literature while simultaneously posing challenges for the charitable funds sustained by his royalties.
End of Copyright Protection
With the expiration of the 70-year copyright protection, Abasıyanık’s works are now available for publishers to print and distribute without paying royalties or obtaining permission. Major Turkish publishing houses, including Can Yayınları and Doğan Kitap, are preparing new editions of his works for the upcoming publishing season.
Impact on the Darüşşafaka Society
Abasıyanık, a pioneer of modern Turkish short story writing, left all his royalties to the Darüşşafaka Society, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to providing free education to orphaned and underprivileged children. His mother honoured his wish after his death, ensuring that the royalties continued to fund the education of the school’s students. The Darüşşafaka Society preserved Abasıyanık’s Burgazada Mansion as a museum and launched the “Sait Faik Short Story Award” in his honour.
The royalties from his works played a critical role in sustaining these initiatives. However, with the expiration of copyright protections, the financial support from Abasıyanık’s literary legacy is set to dwindle.
Some argue that publishers could voluntarily continue to donate a portion of proceeds to the Darüşşafaka Society, viewing this as a moral continuation of the writer’s legacy rather than a legal obligation.
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A Unique Exemption In The UK That Turkey Could Emulate
But business is business. Too soon to say how this will pan out, but the Scociety missed a trick in not applying for an exemption as happened in the UK with Peter Pan, where the UK government in 1988 gave the play of the book indefinite protection.
In the US both the book and play are in the public domain, and the arrangement for the play of Peter Pan to support a London children’s hospital appears to be unique.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
