A Canadian archives of public domain sheet music, put together by volunteers, has been taken down by the owner of the site. A German music company sent a “cease and desist” letter to the site’s owner, asking that protections be put in place to block access to some pieces that are still under copyright in some countries. (Works in Europe are protected for seventy years after the death of the composer and for fifty years in Canada.) The site owner was unable to put such a system in place and has shut it down, offering up the domain name and materials to an organization that might be able to keep it running.
The incident is a good example that demonstrates how varying copyright laws need to be taken into account when posting public domain material online for projects.
article at The Register