Complete New Yorker II

I know this is probably more interesting to me than it is to you, but this article from the Boston Globe raises an interesting question-- did the long dead person who sold the New Yorker an article, story or cartoon in the 1920s or 30 also sell the New Yorker's future owner the right to reprint the work again, in the future? Apparently the law on this issue is not settled, and National Geographic has withdrawn its "complete" edition because of these "rights" issues. I'm just glad that I got my copy in hand before the legal hammer comes down.