The lawsuit filed last week in the Southern District of New York court by producers of the show alleges that the novel by L.M. Montgomery is no longer subject to copyright and is as much in the public domain as Shakespeare’s plays.We deliver the local news you need in these turbulent times on weekdays at 3 p.m.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
The lawsuit says Anne of Green Gables is in the public domain because the book was published in 1908 and should have entered the public domain in 1983, according to United States copyright law. It says the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority is brazenly attempting to monetize and extend the life of an “expired copyright.”The producers are asking for a declaratory judgment that their musical “does not infringe upon any trademark or other intellectual property rights.”