How long is the copyright protection period for a work?

Once a work is created, it has copyright. However, if you want the work to be protected by copyright, you often have to register it first. Once registered, the copyright of the work can be protected by law. It's just that many people don't know much about the specific period of copyright protection for works, and are worried that the protection will not last long. The editor of Legal Savior Network tells us that it depends on the actual situation.

How long is the copyright protection period for works

The protection period of copyright, if the author of the work is a citizen, the protection period is December 31st of the 50th year after the author’s death; if the author of the work is a legal person or other organization, the protection period is until December 31st of the 50th year after the author’s first publication. However, the protection period of the author's right of signature, right of modification, and right to protect the integrity of the work is not limited.

Legal provisions

According to Article 20 of the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China:

Protection of the author’s right of signature, right of modification, and right to protect the integrity of the work Period is not limited.

Article 21 The right to publish the works of citizens and the rights stipulated in Items (5) to (17) of Article 10, Paragraph 1 of this Law shall be protected for the life of the author and his/her lifetime. Fifty years after death, endingDecember 31st of the fiftieth year after the death of the author; if it is a joint work, the deadline is December 31st of the fiftieth year after the death of the last author.

Works and copyrights (signatures) of legal persons or other organizations (Excluding rights) For professional works enjoyed by legal persons or other organizations, the right to publish and the rights stipulated in Items (5) to (17) of Article 10, Paragraph 1 of this Law shall be protected for fifty years, ending on December 31, the fiftieth year after the work was first published, but if the work has not been published within fifty years since its creation, this law will no longer protect it.

Film works and creations using methods similar to filmmaking For works and photographic works, the right to publish and the rights stipulated in Items (5) to (17) of Article 10, Paragraph 1 of this Law shall be protected for fifty years, ending on the fiftieth anniversary of the first publication of the work. On December 31 of the year, if the work has not been published within fifty years since its creation, this law will no longer protect it.

The time for copyright protection of works will depend on the specific work Judging from the type, generally speaking, the protection time is relatively long, which does not mean that it can only protect for a period of time. Regarding the copyright protection period of works or the measures taken during the copyright protection process, you can find a lawyer from the Legal Savior Network to help you understand the relevant knowledge.