How Long Does Copyright Last?

'How long does copyright last?' you might ask before or after you fill in the copyright form and pay the rather high fee. The answer depends on the date of creation, publishing and registration of the song.

The following laws are valid in the US.

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer so don't take this as legal advice.

There are three possibilities but for most people the first one will be the right one:

1. Works Created On or After Jan. 1, 1978: the copyright lasts until the end of the author's life plus an additional 70 years after the author's death. If there was more than one author, it lasts for 70 years after the death of the last surviving author.

1. 2. Works Created Before Jan. 1, 1978, But Not Published or Registered by That Date: the death of the (last) author plus 70 or 95 or 120 years.

2. 3. 3. Works Created and Published or Registered Before Jan. 1, 1978: the copyright lasted for 28 years. After the end of this term, the copyright was eligible for renewal for 28-47 years. So altogether, these works are/were eligible for protection from 75 years, in some cases 95 years.

To find more detailed answers to the question 'How long does copyright last?', visit the website of The Copyright Office. You can also electronically copyright your song on this website. It costs $35 currently. If you want to do it on paper, it costs a little more, $50.

If you'd like to find out more about questions like

• How long does copyright last?

• How do you use copyright law to your benefit?

• What are the proper licenses for the legal online delivery of music?

• Previous cases of copyright violations and how they ended

• Using music on sites like MySpace, YouTube and more…

I recommend that you read Allen Bargfrede and Cecily Mak's book, Music Law in the Digital Age to find out the answers to these questions.

More on How To Copyright a Song

How to Register Copyright on the Internet