How to use the copyright term calculator
Before quoting, reprinting or remixing a work you need to know whether its copyright has run out. Choose the type of work, enter the relevant year and the calculator returns the expiry date, the date the work enters the public domain and the statute that produced the answer.
The governing law is the Copyright Act. For a work created by an identified individual on or after January 1, 1978, 17 U.S.C. section 302(a) sets the term at the life of the author plus 70 years. For a work made for hire or an anonymous or pseudonymous work, section 302(c) sets it at 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever expires first. Section 305 runs every term to the end of the calendar year, which is why the public domain date always falls on January 1. Works first published before 1978 follow the 1909 Act and depend on notice and renewal formalities: works published in 1930 or earlier are already in the public domain as of 2026.
Figures reflect September 2026 and the public domain cutoff advances by one year every January 1. Foreign works restored under section 104A, unpublished works and joint works with several authors follow additional rules.
This calculator is for reference only and is not legal advice. Consult a licensed copyright attorney about your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Section 305 of the Copyright Act runs all terms to the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise expire. That is why a work enters the public domain on January 1 of the following year.
Under 17 U.S.C. section 302(c) the term for a work made for hire, or an anonymous or pseudonymous work, is 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever expires first. There is no author lifetime in the formula.
No. Pre-1978 terms depend on copyright notice and renewal formalities under the 1909 Act. Works published in 1930 or earlier are in the public domain as of 2026, and later ones generally run 95 years from publication if the formalities were met.