My Comic Collection

How do I find out if a character or title is still protected by copyright?

For example: Lovecraftian creatures seem to be safe to write about, as countless authors do each year, and Cthulu is seen everywhere these days… But what about John Carter of Mars, Tarzan, Captain Future, and obscure video game characters like Zen: Intergalactic Ninja and Dash Galaxy?
@David C – Thanks, I ran a search there and I can find the dates those are all registered, but I can’t figure out when it expires.

The expiration of copyright on a particular work depends upon a number of factors, primarily: when it was first published in the USA and when the author died. Subsidiary questions involve the formalities necessary at the time of first publication (notice until 1977, registration until 1989, renewal until 1963), the nationality of the author and even the language in which it was published (in the 9th Circuit). If the works were created by an employee, “works made for hire” (with a written contract) or are anonymous, and the work is recent enough to not require any formalities, you can measure 120 years from the date of creation or 95 years after first US publication. For an ordinary, individual person as author, the copyright lasts 70 years after the death of the author.

Things prior to 1978 have lots of ins and outs regarding publication with notice, registration, renewal, etc., but should be presumed to be still in force unless you have information to the contrary (i.e., something published with no copyright notice prior to 1988).

The Cornell website has an interesting table covering all of the pertinent rules on copyright duration.

Zen: Intergalactic Ninja (NES) pt. 1