How Long Does Copyright Protection Last?
Answer
- The Length of Copyright Depends on When the Work was Created
- Works created on or after January 1, 1978, have a copyright term of life of the author plus seventy years after the author’s death.
- If the work is a joint work, the term lasts for seventy years after the last surviving author’s death.
- For works made for hire and anonymous or pseudonymous works, copyright protection is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.