In the United States, the general rule is that the term of a copyright is the life of the author plus 70 years. This rule is subject to some important exceptions, though:
Work made for hire
The copyright in a work made for hire lasts for 95 years after the date of first publication or 120 years from the date of creation
Corporate authorship
95 years from the date of first publication or 120 years from the date of creation.
Pseudonymous or anonymous works
95 years from the date of first publication or 120 years from the date of creation.
Work created before 1978
The duration of a copyright in a work that was created before 1978 can be complicated to calculate. This is because laws regarding the duration of a copyright changed significantly at various times before 1978. For example, copyright terms were renewable and protection could be lost for failure to timely renew, or failure to properly display a copyright notice, or for several other reasons. The renewal terms of copyrights also underwent a series of extensions at various times. As a result, it is impossible to determine how long copyrights in works created before 1978 last(ed) without more information. The renewal requirement was abolished in 1978 for works created in 1978 or later.
Work published before March 1, 1989
For works published before March 1, 1989, copyright could be lost by failing to display a copyright notice on published copies. The rule was subject to some limited exceptions. The requirement to display a copyright notice on published copies of works was eliminated in 1989. It now only applies to works that were published before March 1, 1989.
Pre-1972 sound recordings
Pre-1972 sound recordings have terms that are defined in the Music Modernization Act of 2018.
International law
The duration of copyrights in countries other than the United States may be different. Not all countries define the duration of a copyright in the same way the United States Congress has.
Joint authors
70 years after the death of the last surviving author.