Sherlock is Free!
Some months ago my good friend Les Klinger filed a court case against the Conan Doyle Estate claiming that the Estate had no right to block the use of the characters as established in the first fifty of the Conan Doyle Holmes stories (the last ten of which, published after 1923, do remain clearly under copyright.) The instigating factor in his case was the second anthology of Holmes-inspired tales that Les and I are editing (In the Company of Sherlock Holmes), which the book’s publishers delayed until we could settle the question of whether or not the Estate had the right to demand payment of permission. 
In a lovely Christmas present, the court has decided in Les’s favor. The Estate has 30 days to appeal the judgment, but the court’s decision was clear:
Sherlock is Free!
The press release is here, along with yesterday’s post of the court’s transcript.
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Nice to see a sensible decision
Thanks!! I especially liked this part: "We believe that Les Klinger is the first and only creator who refused to pay for a license that he did not need and challenged the position of the Conan Doyle Estate in court. Thanks to his courage, commitment and vision, the ruling of the District Court represents a clear legal victory, not only for Les and his co-editor, Laurie R. King, but for every creator who seeks to draw on the Canon to create new works.”
Yay! Now there's a Christmas present for all.
