Check where the film will be shown
Copyright is national, so a book's status depends on the country. Project Gutenberg tells readers outside the United States to check their own laws. As of 2026-09-25.
The EU, Japan and Australia all protect books for 70 years after the author's death, which can leave a book free in the United States and protected across the Atlantic.
For a film posted online, that means working to the strictest of the places it will reach.
Where the answer differs, a platform's geographic settings can hold a video back from some countries, but the safer plan is to choose a book that is free everywhere the audience is.
| Source | Covers | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Project Gutenberg | Outside the U.S. | Readers outside the United States are told to check their own country's laws |
| European Union | Term | Life of the author and 70 years after death, across the member states |
| Japan | Term | The author's lifetime and 70 years after death |
| Australia | Term | 70 years after the death of the author for works |
Inclusion rule. Readings from the three registers used on this page. Order. The order the text takes them in.
1In the sources' words
If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
Project Gutenberg, license page
shall run for the life of the author and for 70 years after his death, irrespective of the date when the work is lawfully made available to the public.
EUR-Lex, Directive 2006/116/EC on the term of protection
The copyright continues to subsist during the author's survival period and the end of the 70-year period following the death of the author.
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan, Overview of the Copyright System
70 years after the death of the author for works
Attorney-General's Department, Australia, Copyright basics
- Full licenseReaders outside the United States are told to check their own country's laws
- Article 1Life of the author and 70 years after death, across the member states
- Term of protectionThe author's lifetime and 70 years after death
- Duration70 years after the death of the author for works
Filed under: Project Gutenberg · European Union · Japan · Australia
2Turning the book into episodes
Once the rights in “Check where the film will be shown” are settled, SceneMixer describes the adaptation itself like this:
The samples page for 15 languages lists one finished series per language, each with the cast speaking that language natively and every segment's storyboard shown next to its video.
SceneMixer, AI Short Drama in 15 Languages (2026): Interface, Scripts and the Dialogue Your Cast Actually Speaks — “Can I watch a sample in my language before I start?” (read 2026-10-13)
The longest an episode may run: 240 seconds for Short Drama, 300 for TV Series, none for Film.
SceneMixer, Short Drama, TV Series or Film — “What is the episode cap?” (read 2026-10-13)