ARTICLE
COPYRIGHT TERM DECISION TREE
 Copyright 2001 by James W. Martin. All rights reserved.
 


Copyright Term Decision Tree
Note: Not updated since 2001.
Note: Not accurate for works published or registered in the U.S. before 1923. Copyright Office explanation:
"According to the Copyright Act of 1976, works registered for copyright or published with a copyright notice were protected for a maximum of 75 years of copyright protection, assuming the copyrights on the works were renewed (28 years first term plus 47 for the second, if renewed). Public Law 105-298 enacted in October 1998 increased the maximum to 95 years [28 years first term and 67 for the second, if renewed]. Before 1998 the longest amount of time a work could be protected was 75 years, so works before 1923 were no longer protected (1998 minus 75 years equals 1923). When the law changed, the 1923 date was ‘frozen” and will remain so until 2018 [2018 minus 95 equals 1923]. Starting in 2018 the date that works are no longer protected will again change yearly, being calculated as the current year minus 95 years."