Anne Frank's Father Added as Co-Author to Extend European Copyright Protection

Posted on November 16, 2015

In a move to extend the European copyright of The Diary of Anne Frank the Swiss foundation that owns the copyright to the book has informed publishers that Anne's father, Otto Frank, was the legal co-author of the book. Otto was always listed as the editor of the book, as it was he who got the diary published after the end of World War II.

Without listing Otto Frank as the co-author, the copyright to the book would end on January 1, 2016. With this revelation, the book's copyright in Europe will be extended to the end of 2015. Anne Frank died 70 years ago of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, only one month before the camp was liberated by Allied forces.

The New York Times reports that Ann's father set up the foundation that controls the copyright. He wanted all royalties to be given to charities that that support children and the descendants of those that helped the Frank family. Unicef and children's education projects currently are the beneficiaries, along with 50 gentiles that saved Jews during the War. The money pays for their medical expenses. The foundation is determined to extend their copyright so that the royalties will continue to go to charity. Others are determined the copyright, asserting that it should move into the public domain. but the Foundation is very concerned about Anne's legacy and the kind of projects that will pop up after the copyright ends. She was only 15 when she died and the foundation is determined to carry out her father's wishes to preserve her good name and legacy.

The copyright to Anne Frank's Diary will end in the United States in 2047. That is 95 years after the first publication of the book.