How long does a copyright last?

In Washington, the length of a copyright depends on when the work was created. For works created after January 1, 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. This means that 70 years after the author dies, the copyright ends and the work enters the public domain where it is available to the public to use without permission. For works created before 1978, copyright laws were different and the length of copyright varied from 28 to 95 years for works created between the dates of 1909 to 1978. During this period, copyright was often renewed as necessary, though some works may have not been renewed and so are now in the public domain. If a work was made for hire, meaning it was created by an employee for their employer, the copyright lasts for 95 years from the date of its first publication, or 120 years from the date of its creation, whichever is shorter. It is important to note that copyright does not protect ideas, but instead the way in which an idea is expressed. Therefore, copyright does not prevent someone from using an idea, but it does protect them from reproducing it without permission.

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