Copyright duration: basic rules (beta)

Generally speaking, works published in the United States prior to 1923 are now in the public domain. This is because in 1998 (the year of the Sonny Bono Act/CTEA), works published before 1923 were already in the public domain before subsisting copyrights got a 20-year extension (extending existing copyrights from 75 to 95 years).

See the math: 1998 (Year of Sonny Bono Act) minus the pre-CTEA 75-year term for published 1909 Act works = 1923.

Notices: This table does not reflect every facet of copyright duration. It is also in beta form.

 

Initial term

Renewal term

Maximum

1909 Act

Initial and renewal terms.

 28 years 28 years 56 years

1976 Act

Adds 19 years to subsisting 1909 Act copyrights

Single term for new works.

 

 1909 Act works

28 years

1909 Act works

19 years added by 1976 Act

Total: 47 years

  • 28 renewal
  • + 19 from 1976 Act

1909 Act works

19 years added by 1976 Act

Total: 75 years 

  • 28 initial
  • + 28 renewal
  • + 19 from 1976 Act
1976 Act works

  • Individual: life + 50 years    
  • Joint: LLA + 50 years 
  • Corporate, anonymous, pseudonymous, WM4H: 75 years pub., 100 years unpub.

 1976 Act works

Because there is unitary term, no renewal needed

 1976 Act works

  • Individual author: life + 50 years
  • Joint authors: LLA + 50 years
  • Corporate, anonymous, pseudonymous, WM4H: 75 years pub., 100 years unpub.

1998 CTEA

Adds 20 years to subsisting copyrights.

 

1909 Act works

28 years

 1909 Act works

19 years added by 1976 Act

20 years added by 1998 CTEA

Total: 67 years

  • 28 renewal
  • + 19 from 1976 Act
  • + 20 from 1998 CTEA 
 1909 Act works

19 years added by 1976 Act

20 years added by 1998 CTEA

Total: 95 years

  • 28 initial
  • + 28 renewal
  • + 19 from 1976 Act 
  • + 20 from 1998 CTEA
1976 Act works

20 years added by 1998 CTEA

  • Individual author: life + 70
  • Joint authors: LLA + 70
  • Corporate, anonymous, pseudonymous, WM4H: 95 pub., 120 unpub. 
 1976 Act works

Because there is unitary term, no renewal needed

 1976 Act works

20 years added by 1998 CTEA  

  • Individual author: life + 70 years 
  • Joint authors: LLA + 70 years
  • Corporate, anonymous, pseudonymous, WM4H: 95 years pub., 120 unpub.

Revised Sept. 12, 2015