Which statement correctly describes the duration of copyright protection for a published work?

Which statement correctly describes the duration of copyright protection for a published work?

• A. The life of the author plus 70 years
• B. 70 years
• C. The life of the author
• D. Copyrights last forever

Answer: (D)

Copyright protection for a published work lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after the author's death. This means the author’s heirs or estate can benefit for that extended period, and only after that time does the work enter the public domain, becoming freely usable by anyone. Some works have different terms, such as works created for hire or anonymous works, which follow other durations (but the standard for a typical published work by a single author is life plus seventy years). The idea that copyright ends at death, or that it lasts a fixed 70 years, or that it lasts forever, does not apply to the common published-work scenario.

Copyright protection for a published work lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years after the author's death. This means the author’s heirs or estate can benefit for that extended period, and only after that time does the work enter the public domain, becoming freely usable by anyone.

Some works have different terms, such as works created for hire or anonymous works, which follow other durations (but the standard for a typical published work by a single author is life plus seventy years). The idea that copyright ends at death, or that it lasts a fixed 70 years, or that it lasts forever, does not apply to the common published-work scenario.