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Does copyright last forever?
No, although it does last a very long time. The term of copyright in a work is generally the life of the author, the remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and a period of 50 years following the end of that calendar year. For example, if an author created a work in January of 1982, and died in July of 2040, copyright protection in that work would survive until December 31, 2090. If there are joint authors, the 50-year period begins to run at the end of the year of death of the last surviving author.
Once copyright in a work has expired, anyone can usually exercise the rights that were protected by copyright. An exception to this rule relates to broadcast and performing rights in a non-copyrighted work. These rights are protected for the term of their copyright, regardless of whether the copyright in the main work has expired.
December 1998
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