It's interesting - ownership of copyright depends on the translation used.
Even before America's entry into WWII, the matter of whether American publishers should pay royalties to Hitler was a matter of some contention.
Today, ownership of all versions except English, Dutch and Swedish editions resides with the State of Bavaria, although apparently there's an heir of Hitler's who could make a claim (but has said he wants nothing whatsoever to do with the book).
Throughout much of Europe, selling the book is illegal, and Bavaria uses its ownership to prevent sale and distribution rather than to cut a profit.
In the US, Houghton Mifflin owns the copyright. What it did with the money is interesting:
From 1942 to 1979, much of the profits from the American edition of Mein Kampf -- $139,393 in royalties alone -- went to the government's War Claims Fund to repatriate victims of World War II. But then, HM paid $37,254 for future royalties, taking the profits for itself.
Then, in 2000, it announced it would be donating the proceeds to an unspecified charity - from 1979 to 2000, it was estimated to have made between $300,000 to $700,000 selling the book.
Sales in Britain were funneled directly to a charity for German Jewish refugees in Britain, although now the charity apparently does more work helping non-Jewish Germans settle in England, and has asked not to get any more Mein Kampf money.
You can read more detailed accounting over here. |
