The period of copyright
Like other types of intellectual property, copyright has a limited lifespan. However, this period (the copyright ‘term’) is quite generous.
There are different categories for the duration of copyright. In very broad terms:
- for musical, literary and artistic works (but not photographs) which have been published before the author dies: copyright lasts for her lifetime, plus 50 years after her death;
- in all other cases: copyright lasts for 50 years after the work has been made available to the public.
When calculating whether international works are in or out of copyright, you should get expert assistance. Some periods are different internationally — meaning, for example, that copyright may have expired in South Africa but is still valid in the USA.
Read section 3(2) of the Copyright Act.