â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2017. Yeah, so, why did he like that subtweet of the Grinchâs tiny heart? Does he think anything Christmas-related, no matter how tangential, must be fought for at all costs? Would he have liked a picture of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause? What about a still from Die Hard?
If the Copyright Office has no confirmation that a composer or song-writer is still living and it has been 75 years since the first copyright protection order was granted, or 100 years since the recognized creation date of the piece, it becomes public domain.
According to the Student Press Law Center's Guide to Music Licensing for Broadcasting and Webcasting, there's a longstanding myth that you can use up to 30 seconds of music in any way without fear of copyright infringement. Like many myths, this idea has at least a kernel of truth behind it, however poorly understood.