Whatever Happened to the Literary James Bond in the 1970s?

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  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    edited August 2014
    Here is the author Ian McEwan on spies and the context of the early 1970s:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntE-7Or2DqI
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • DEFIANT 74205DEFIANT 74205 Perth, AustraliaPosts: 1,881MI6 Agent
    There is still tons of Gardner Material to use..


    True, but I doubt Eon will ever officially adapt any of the continuation Bond novels sadly. :#

    Admittedly, I've never read any continuation novels. As a Fleming purist, I would probably consider them to be poor imitations of the real thing, and not 'cannon'. So in a way, I'm glad that they aren't making films based on continuation novels.

    I'll stipulate that perhaps I'm overly harsh and should at least give it a go before I criticise. Maybe one day, I'll do just that.
    Agreed, I think EON bought the rights just to have control and stop anyone
    trying to make another. Although as someone pointed out the copyright only
    lasts for 75 years so who knows what legal battles are ahead in years to come. :#

    In which jurisdiction does copyright last 75 years?

    As far as I'm aware - and I could be wrong - in the UK and US, the duration of copyright is the same as it is in Australia - that is, in the case of cinematographic works, 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the film was first released. Or, if you're referring to the novels, 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies.
    "Watch the birdie, you bastard!"
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    This is just something I thought. After the death of an author, it had
    Copyright protection for 75 years, now I'm not saying I'm right , it's
    Just what I was lead to believe. ;) I'm no Copyright lawyer :))
    Maybe it's 70 years. -{
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    I recently read an interesting article in The Times on literary copyright concerning the Conan-Doyle and rights to the Sherlock Holmes and it said that under British copyright law an author's work enters the public domain some 70 years after that author's death. That means the work is protected in the UK (as a signatory of the Berne Convention treaty) for the author's life plus a further 70 years after the date of death. That means that the literary copyright on the Fleming Bond novels and short stories will expire on 12 August 2034, still 20 years away and it may be even longer than this if the Continuation Bonds are taken into account...
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    Any further interest on what it was the happened to the literary James Bond in the 1970s? I'm all ears! :) -{
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,845MI6 Agent
    edited December 2014
    This is how I like to imagine the literary James Bond looked in the 1970s (courtesy of Laurence Harvey):

    Laurence_Harvey_Allan_Warren.jpg
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    Thanks for the pic, SM. You can easily envision the "real" James Bond in casual wear while being interviewed during the writing of The Authorized Biography of 007. I remember how John Pearson went on and on how unlike Bond was to his screen counterparts.
    This is how I like to imagine the literary James Bond looked in the 1970s (courtesy of Laurence Harvey):

    Laurence_Harvey_Allan_Warren.jpg
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    I recently read an interesting article in The Times on literary copyright concerning the Conan-Doyle and rights to the Sherlock Holmes and it said that under British copyright law an author's work enters the public domain some 70 years after that author's death. That means the work is protected in the UK (as a signatory of the Berne Convention treaty) for the author's life plus a further 70 years after the date of death. That means that the literary copyright on the Fleming Bond novels and short stories will expire on 12 August 2034, still 20 years away and it may be even longer than this if the Continuation Bonds are taken into account...

    If I just read the same site as you did, it also says that the Fleming Estate judiciously took other legal remedies such as filing trade marks for "James Bond" and other names that appear in the books. I wonder if the same laws apply to films and if there's parity across borders; I also wonder how copyright and trademark laws affect EON's standing with the property?
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Although I remember reading that, at one point, when Clive Cussler
    Was writing Night Probe. He has a character who is obviously Bond,
    But given a different name. That if he'd paid IFP, around £1000,000
    They would have let him use the name " James Bond" ! :D
    Don't know if that's true or a myth. :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 37,868Chief of Staff
    I remember reading that some time ago- I think Cussler would also have had to give up the film rights, too.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    {[] Interesting. I think it's funny, Old Clive has written some fantastic books
    ( my opinion) but every film made from them has been rubbish :))
    ( Maybe not " Raise the Titanic" ) So by letting them have the film rights, that
    May have actually helped him.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
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