Duration of Copyright
The provisions on duration have been largely modified by the Duration of Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 1995 No. 3297. The provisions of the 1988 Act (ss. 12–15) as it received Royal Assent are given below. All periods of copyright run until the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise expire. The duration of copyright under the 1988 Act does not depend on the initial owner of the copyright, nor on the country of origin of the work. The following durations do not apply to Crown copyright, Parliamentary copyright or the copyright of international organisations.
| Literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works | s. 12 | Copyright lasts for seventy years from the death of the author. If the author is unknown, copyright expires seventy years after the work is first made available to the public (The Duration of Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations 1995 amended these durations from the previous period of fifty to seventy years). If the work is computer-generated, copyright expires fifty years after the work is made. |
| Sound recordings and films | s. 13 | Copyright lasts for fifty years after the recording is made.If the recording or film is released (published, broadcast or shown in public) within this period, the copyright lasts for fifty years from the date of first release.
Note that the Duration of Copyright and Rights in Performances Regulations 1995 amended the durations, for films only, to seventy years from the death of the last principal director, author or composer. If the film is of unknown authorship: seventy years from creation, or if released within this period, seventy years from first release. |
| Broadcasts and cable programmes | s. 14 | Copyright lasts for fifty years after the first broadcast or transmission. The repeat of a broadcast or a cable programme does not generate a new copyright period. |
| Typographical arrangements | s. 15 | Copyright lasts for twenty-five years after the edition is published. |
Read more about this topic: Copyright, Designs And Patents Act 1988
Famous quotes containing the words duration of and/or duration:
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—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)