[evil_genius_180]

That's what it is. The original translation is available in public domain. However, the original translation is wrong. It's missing huge chunks of the book, where they just didn't feel like translating and it has a lot of translation errors due to somebody just not caring about doing a good job. I forget who did it, but a lot of other translations are actually based on it and none of those are recommended by the Jules Verne Society. That's why I paid money for the copy I have. Some of Verne's other works that are available in the public domain copies are good copies, it depends on the book and who did the translation.

Copyrights expire after a set time whether or not the copyright holder is still living. The exact timing varies by country. However, copyrights can be renewed by the copyright holders. That happens all the time with studios that make films, to keep them from becoming public domain. Authors are also known to do it, as they don't want their work copied. However, once the original copyright holder dies and the copyright expires, it can't be renewed and the works go into public domain.