subject: Questions And Answers About Copyright Services [print this page] When you have worked so hard on a particular piece of music, a story or any other collection of works, it is always a good idea to protect your rights to it by copyrighting it. You also probably are going to have a lot of questions about how to go about getting this protection, if you do not already. It is important that you understand all that is involved in the process so that you know your rights and what they all entail. One of the most important questions that people often have in regards to copyrighting is how long the protection will last.
First of all, copyright protection lengths depend on when the work was created. Works created on or after January 1, 1978 entail copyright protection that will last for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. If the works are the result of a joint effort, that protection will endure for 70 years after the death of the last remaining author. For anonymous and pseudonymous works and works made for hire, the term will be 95 years from the year of first publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever expires first.
Works originally created before January 1, 1978, but not published or registered by that date will have a term that lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years as well. If the work was published before December 31, 2002, the term of the copyright protection is not going to expire before December 31, 2047. If you have works that were created before 1978 and they are still in their original or renewal term of copyright, the term is now extended to 95 years from the date that the copyright for the work was originally secured.
There are some categories of material that are not generally eligible for copyright protection. Some of these include works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression, like choreographic works that are not recorded, improvisational speeches and performances of different types that have not been written down or recorded. Did you also know that titles, names, short phrases and slogans cannot be protected? Familiar symbols or designs, variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring, mere listings of ingredients or contents can not be copyrighted either. Ideas, methods, procedures, systems, concepts, principles, discoveries, or devices as distinguished from an explanation or illustration also are included in this category.
