â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 25, 2017. Yeah, so, why did he like that subtweet of the Grinchâs tiny heart? Does he think anything Christmas-related, no matter how tangential, must be fought for at all costs? Would he have liked a picture of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause? What about a still from Die Hard?
If the Copyright Office has no confirmation that a composer or song-writer is still living and it has been 75 years since the first copyright protection order was granted, or 100 years since the recognized creation date of the piece, it becomes public domain.
Copyrights do not last forever. When copyrights expire, the works are considered part of the public domain. Right now, most works published prior to 1923 are in the public domain while more recent works are covered by copyright. Currently, copyright laws are in effect for 70 years after the death of the creator of the work. So, if an author died in 2080, her books would not enter the public domain until 2150.