Hergé: When does copyright in his work expire?

I had heard someone say that Moulinsart's copyright over Tintin would expire in next 4 years. Is it true?

That would be great, but it's more likely to be something like 25 years. I think copyright holds for 100 years and Tintin is 75 years old. I hope your right though!

I'm not an expert in copyright, but I think if an author has an estate, as Hergé does, then they can renew the copyright and extend it beyond its "natural life".

Hergé did say he did not want Tintin, as a comic strip, to continue after his death. As he said (paraphrase) - someone may do it better, someone may do it worse, but the fact remains that they would do it differently, and it so it could not be Tintin.

I know this mainly relates to Tintin in an official way, and I don't really see anything too wrong with fan adaptations, except when they try to pass off as official stories. Also, some things have been done in Tintin's name which are not true to the character.

I have a lot of respect for Hergé's wishes, and completely understand how he felt about the character he created being taken on by strangers.
Blake & Mortimer have been continued after Jacobs' death, and - from the little I've seen (I admit) - they do not have that authenticity to them.
There's also the slight feeling that, with Jacobs, it's merely trying to make more money out of Blake & Mortimer.

But I know there is a big difference between this and a fan story.

- Garen

Yes you are right, but it depends on the situation if Moulinsart would think to extend the copyright.

I know what Hergé had wanted, and he is right in a way. But I believe things which Moulinsart does, I totally think Hergé would never have wanted those.
Telling fan websites to close just because they have images of Tintin on their site. Come on!

Also, yes some works have been there that depict Tintin in unusual situations and totally ruin the character's image.
But there are some that are quite good and convincing that they could have been a part of the actual Tintin series.
If only it was possible to publish parodies by mentioning that they are not official albums, and are just fan works.
And of course the fan community would be there to approve them. Like I believe harry Edwood's The Voice of the Lagoon one is really good enough to be published, if it was completed.

Well, most of the fans have great respect for Hergé and that is why they feel like continuing the adventures of the young boy reporter.
But thing like people do who did with Richard, printing the Alph-Art and selling at high prices, I guarantee they are not Tintin fans. Man!!!

But still one thing will always be true: there will always be a big difference between the original and a fan story.

I completely agree with you, Kirthi. A true fan does respect Hergé's original concept, and I do see that in some of the very few fan pages I've seen. It is natural for a fan to want to indulge in the world of Tintin further.

I also agree with you concerning websites.
Most websites can only help foster enthusiasm for Tintin and, from a commercial viewpoint (Moulinsart's main concern) result in more book sales.
I only see a problem if sites start reproducing the actual books on their sites, which I haven't seen.

Sites like Tintinologist.org, which are well-made and resepctful of Hergé, can only be good for Tintin!

By the way, I was just thinking.
When at first I started making comics, I thought of an album of Tintin in India.
I did almost 5 pages of it, and though I was not so good with drawing, at that time people really liked the concept.
Most of them asked why I am using Tintin for the story, when I could make my own character?
I then tried hard to use the story for one of my own characters, but my heart never allowed me to do so.
It still sticks to the fact that the adventurous stories I have in my mind be used for Tintin only.
Now, how do I explain this situation to others?
So, you can yourself see the kind of effect Tintin has on any artist. If only Hergé knew my situation... ;)

It is a tribute to Hergé and the character of Tintin, that you have been inspired to create your own Tintin story (perhaps, if I were more honest, The Rainbow Orchid would feature Tintin and Captain Haddock, not Julius Chancer and Sir Alfred Catesby-Grey!).

My brother used to be into the Dr. Who fandom scene.
Novels, audio adventures and even new video adventures sit quite happily alongside the official BBC stories, and the BBC don't seem to mind at all (in fact, I believe some of the BBC people are even involved in some of the fandom).

I'm glad to see Tintin fan stories, but I'm also glad there has been no official continuation of the stories, by Bob de Moor, for instance.
It would debase the character to a franchise and a money-making scheme.

This is only my initial point of view.
Is there anyone who would have liked to see another creator, or creators, continue Tintin?

I agree with tybaltstone.

Hergé always maintained that only he could breath life into Tintin. During Hergé's life there were attempts to get him to draw stories written for Tintin by other people, but Hergé could not work within those contraints.

If Tintin had carried on after Hergé's death by another artist, the chances are it would be awful. To be fair to Moulinsart, they have at least respected his wish that nobody else would draw Tintin...

I see the "unofficial works" by the fans as something different entirely - more like "tributes.
And in truth, has there been a parody yet that's as good as any Tintin story by Hergé?
Not in my opinion, although I have enjoyed a fair few...

Chris

As I said before, there will always be a difference between the original and the fan work.

But a fan too can make quite similar plots if he has read Tintin quite a lot of times (and a lot here means just too much to say) and your brain starts working in the same way.

I would love to see continuation of Tintin by another artist if he sticks to some particular lines:

1. He does not kill any character of the book.
2. He does not depict the character in a different way.
3. And his story is quite exciting and is in merge with the times Hergé used to draw Tintin.

Tintin wearing a different outfit, and smoking cigars, or having a beard, is the stuff I would never love to see.
Maybe I missed some points but these are the main I have in mind when I see a parody.

See also:
Will Moulinsart ever allow people to create Tintin fan works (fan art, and fan fiction)?