Copyright expiration

G20

I am writing a novel and would like to quote occasionally from well known poems and songs.

How can I know if the copyright has expired on a previously published work?

What is the law regarding expiration of copyright in the UK and Ireland?

pickarooney

I think it's 70 years after the death of the author although that might have changed to 100 recently. There is some sort of fair-use policy where you can quote a line or two with impunity but I don't know if there is an exact rule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries%27_copyright_length
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/3297/regulation/5/made

iguana

I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you have footnotes that clearly annotate the copyrighted lines. If it happens that your novel is going to be published, and the quotations are integral to the story, the publisher's legal department will sort out the necessary permissions.

G20

Thanks both picarooney and iguana. I found both replies helpful.