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.
Under the current law, if a work was first published in the United States on or before December 31, 1922, then it is likely to be in the public domain. But you should never rely solely on this date alone since there may be other factors to consider.