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Jane Austen, A to Z: Inheritance
So I was wondering the other day, “Who owns the rights to Jane Austen’s works? Who gets the proceeds?”
Jane Austen did not have children. When she was alive, she didn’t make a lot of money from her novels. Her brother, Henry, helped her to publish her novels. When his bank failed, many family members lost a lot of money. After Jane’s death, Henry named her as the author in a posthumous publication of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.
The copyrights to her novels were owned by the publisher, Richard Bentley. However, all of Jane Austen’s works are public domain so no one owns Jane Austen anymore.
If you write a book or a movie that is somehow related to one of her novels but not her exact story, then your work is protected by copyright laws.
I’m adding a few links to articles about her descendants because I thought it was interesting.
Jane Austen’s Family Squabbles over House
How Much Was Jane Austen Paid for Some of History’s Best Books?
Jane Austen’s Fame and Fortune, Now and Then
Jane Austen’s Facts and Figures in Charts
Originally published at chasingdestino.com on April 10, 2019.
