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US copyright term and renewal: at‑a‑glance chart for pre‑1978 and post‑1978 works (archived)

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Practice notes

ARCHIVED

This Practice Note is archived and is no longer maintained. It was first produced for Lexis Practice Adviser, in the US. The charts present an at-a-glance summary of copyright terms (also known as copyright duration or duration of copyright) for works first published on or after 1 January 1978 (post-1978 works) and for works first published before 1 January 1978 (pre-1978 works), including whether renewal terms are needed or available. For a general overview of copyright law, see: US—copyright fundamentals [Archived].

Post-1978 works

All original works of authorship created and fixed in a tangible medium of expression on or after 1 January 1978 (the effective date of the Copyright Act of 1976) are automatically protected upon fixation. The duration varies by the nature of the work:

Works of an individual author: life of the author plus 70 years
Works of joint authorship: life of the surviving author plus 70 years
Works made for hire: 95 years from

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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