What is the length of copyright protection afforded to a work for hire from the date of first publication
1 However, if the work is a work for hire (that is, the work is done in the course of employment or has been specifically commissioned) or is published anonymously or under a pseudonym, the copyright lasts between 95 and 120 years, depending on the date the work is published. For works made for hire and anonymous and pseudonymous works, the dura-tion of copyright is 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter (unless the author’s identity is later revealed in Copyright Office records, in which case the term becomes the author’s life plus 70 years). As a general rule, a work created after January 1, 1978, is protected by copyright for the life of the author plus 70 years. The duration of “works made for hire” and anonymous works is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter. As a result of the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, most copyrights for works published after January 1, 1978, last for the life of the author plus 70 years. However, in the following circumstances, the copyright lasts between 95 and 120 years, depending on the date the work is published: 1 Or, in the case of work for hire, 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from the date of creation. 2  Copyright implementation is now automatic; as a result, you do not need to register your work with the US copyright office for copyright protection. The duration of copyright law under the 1998 act was extended for all copyrighted materials. Works created on January 1, 1978, or after are protected from the time the work was fixed in a tangible medium of expression.. The term is for life of the creator plus 70 years. The copyright was eligible for renewal during the final, that is, 28th year, of the first term. If renewed, the copyright was extended for a second, or renewal, term of 28 years. If it was not renewed, the copyright expired at the end of the first 28-year term, and the work is no longer protected by copyright. 1 If the work was created, but not published, before 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. 2  However, even if the author died over 70 years ago, the copyright in an unpublished work lasts until December 31, 2002. For any work created from 1978 to date a copyright is good for the author's life, plus 50 years, with a few exceptions such as work for hire which is owned by the one commissioning the work for a period of 75 years from publication. After that it falls into the public domain. 1 However, if the work is a work for hire (that is, the work is done in the course of employment or has been specifically commissioned) or is published anonymously or under a pseudonym, the copyright lasts between 95 and 120 years, depending on the date the work is published.
95 years