There are one possible way, but it isn't very safe - see below. Just loosing _one_ media doesn't mean loosing copyright. If one wants to get rid of his rights, he has to proclam this in a prominent and usefull manner - like anouncing it in a state publication or any kind of aprobiate publication. Like puting an anouncement in a sourcefile. It's exactly the reverse way as claiming an title for a book or movie - If you want to avoide that someone else will use a title of a planned book, you have to anounce it in a aprobiate manner - i.e. in Germay you till put an add in the 'Boersenblatt des Deutschen Buchhandels' - a 'news'paper for publishing companies and book traders. For this case (reprinting a book), there are two and a half steps to perform: First try to get knowledge of the holder of rights. Basicly easy, since book rights are always originated by the author. Find the author, and ask if there are current licences. Apply for a licence. If he has no futher interest, he may offer it exclusive and unlimited for just a beer or two. Try to get a written statement. Geting licence doesn't include source material like disks or scripts - if they are lost, you still have to key in every letter again ... Second if you can't locate the author, or any other people possible owning actual licences or able to legitimate their rights, you are free to copy and redistribute the work. The hard term is 'unable to locate the owner' - judges (at least in Europe and especialy the US) put up very high bars to cross. You have to show that you did anything possible (Adds, writing to former publishers, companies, familie, friends, etc. searching directories). Now you can start to reproduce the book - BUT in your best interest you should take step twoandahalf: Opening a closed account (I don't know the exact US term - its an account where yo ujust put in money, but never take it back - possibly managed by a lawyer) for the author/owner of rights. Now 'just' pay the royalities into this account. If a beliveable owner of rights shows up, you just have to grant him access to this account. A possible 'new' royality agreement has to be made at this point. If the owner of rights disagrees with the summ (you have to open your books for double check sales and business regarding this licence) don't grant the access and wait for his court move. As long as your amount of saved royalities is reasonable any court decision inf favour or the owner wouldn't grant more, so be aware and don't put the royalities to low, becaus if the judge thinks so, the summs can be enormous - at leat within the strange US system. This method (step twoandahalf) can (and will) be used on any matter regarding intelectual properies - books, music ('legal' bootlegs use this to avoid geting dumped in the US) or patents (If company A won't give company B a licence, B could try it via twoandahalf - as long as they are able without support from A :) The trick is that you are NOT stealing the property - you are willing to pay, but some strange thing might hinder you. (This is even at wartime true, which leads to the very strange fact where Germany took a way more civilizated position than the US - Germany payed royalities even during the war for tecnologie used - including weapon tecnologie - while the US just declared any German patent or Trademark non existent. Some things can caus dizziness when thinking about) Ok, back to our book project: If you get the permission forgett to ask if theres still a licence, maybe even a exclusive one for a publishing company, since in this case you still have to look for the (original) publisher. But regarding the KIM, with his chaotic past, a simple solution isn't available. Gruss H. Oh, and don't forgett: Even a non profit copying action is forbidden. so if a C= group, for example, make copies of the C64 ROM to distrimute within their group and friends FOR FREE, they are subject to pay royalieties. -- Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut HRK