Public domain age?

[VintageMedStock]

How old does an image need to be (e.g., 80 yrs old, 90 yrs old, 95 yrs old, etc.) to be considered public domain, and acceptable in Adobe Stock's library without a model/property release?

[Moderator moved the thread to the correct forum]

[daniellei4510]

I pulled this from the internet and I'm by no means an expert on the subject but "If the creator of the photo becomes known, and the creator passed away before January 1, 1972, then the photo is in the public domain. If the creator of the photo becomes known, and the creator passed away on or after January 1, 1972, then the photo is copyright protected until 70 years after the creator's death."

But I believe there may be other issues involved, such as an image being in control of the deceased's estate. So you might want to do some additional googling for more details.

[Jill_C]

More details are given here:
How Long Does Copyright Protection Last? (FAQ) | U.S. Copyright Office

[Abambo]

There are several issues here. The most important issue is that Adobe does not accept public domain images. 

Copyright is granted for up to 70 years (out of memory) after the creators death. Several conditions, however, apply. It also depends on where the creator lived, as different laws may be applicale and several international conventions.

[VintageMedStock]

Thanks for your replies! 

I've been a stock photographer for 25 years, photographing +100 year old, forgotten, not Disney-ish, out-of-date books (weird hobby, but yeah, example attached). Are these types of images not acceptable?

[Abambo]

(weird hobby, but yeah, example attached)

By @VintageMedStock

I think it's a great hobby…

…but I fear that this is not what Adobe stock is looking for. First, Adobe may ask you for a property release and second, the quality is not up to the standards of Adobe. Your example picture shows grain. I know, it's inherently in the asset, but still, it won’t pass the quality check.

[RALPH_L]

Someone elses design. Why should you make money based soley on this design? It is not integrated into your work. It iis somebody elses work. 

[Jill_C]

Reread the Contributor Agreement. You must own all IP rights for the works submitted, which means you have either created it yourself or have legally obtained IP rights from the original creator.

[Nancy OShea]

It's a moot point since you can't submit work by other artists.  Public Domain images are NO GO.  See screenshot below.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/submission-guidelines.html