Automatic Copyright Protection
Anything you create, or conceive, that is an original “form of expression” is automatically copyrighted under United States law. Generally, this automatic copyright protection is good for fifty (50) to seventy (70) years throughout the world.
In the United States, current copyright laws protect individual authors for creations rendered on or after January 1, 1978, beginning the day the work was created. This automatic copyright lasts for seventy (70) years after the author’s death.
Other Copyright Laws Still Affect the Duration of Author’s Rights
Legislation on copyright laws is always subject to change. For example, U.S. law used to require that copyrights be renewed every twenty-eight (28) years. Any copyrighted material that was published before 1964 that was subject to the 28-year renewal law, and has not been renewed, is now public domain material in the U.S.
Additionally, all books and other published works prior to 1923 are now also considered public domain in the U.S.
Exclusions to Limited Duration on Copyrights
These laws only pertain to material published inside the United States, that were created by U.S. citizens, or someone residing legally in the country at the time of U.S. publication.
Copyrighted materials from other countries are still protected as long as the person is a non-U.S. citizen, and still holds their copyrights in their own country.
