What is a copyright duration?

In Washington, a copyright duration is the period of time that a copyright exists and is legally enforced. Copyright is a form of intellectual property law that provides exclusive rights to the creator of an original work. It prevents someone from using, copying, or distributing the work without the creator’s permission. A copyright duration typically lasts for the life of the creator plus an additional 70 years after the creator’s death in Washington State. This duration is in line with the copyright laws of most states in the United States, as well as the federal copyright laws. During this time, only the copyright holder has the right to reproduce, distribute, or alter the work. In some cases, if a work is made for hire, the copyright duration is 95 years from the year of publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever is shorter. For works owned by the federal government, the copyright is indefinite. It’s important to note that copyright does not protect ideas, only the expressions of those ideas. So, for example, if two people write a story about a talking dog, both stories are copyrightable, but the idea of a talking dog is not.

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