312-49 · Question #169
You are called by an author who is writing a book and he wants to know how long the copyright for his book will last after he has the book published?
The correct answer is C. The life of the author plus 70 years. Under the US Copyright Act (as amended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998) and aligned with the Berne Convention, copyright protection for works created by an individual author lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after their death. This applies to…
Question
You are called by an author who is writing a book and he wants to know how long the copyright for his book will last after he has the book published?
Options
- A70 years
- BThe life of the author
- CThe life of the author plus 70 years
- DCopyrights last forever
How the community answered
(28 responses)- B4% (1)
- C93% (26)
- D4% (1)
Explanation
Under the US Copyright Act (as amended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998) and aligned with the Berne Convention, copyright protection for works created by an individual author lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after their death. This applies to works created on or after January 1, 1978. After this period, the work enters the public domain. Copyright does not last forever (option D), it is not limited to just 70 years from publication (option A), and it does not end at the author's death alone (option B).
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