Creative · official-source review · reviewed 2026-10-10
A copyright question starts with the author's status, and most guesses start with the publication year.
Turn a work type and one year into an earliest public-domain year under the general U.S. rule.
Anyone checking whether an old work is still protected before reusing it.
Use the source document or official route that applies to your situation. This guide does not contact another person or verify external information.
Decide whether a person, a group, or an employer is the author. This choice sets the rule.
For a person, find the year of death. For a work made for hire, find the year of publication.
Apply the term rule for the author status. Write the rule next to the computed year.
Keep the record that proves the year you used. A publication page or a registry entry is enough.
Confirm the status before you reuse the work. The source describes the general rule only.
A single author died in 2020. The general rule of life plus 70 years points to 2090 as the earliest public-domain year.
Use your own source and details. The example is not a record about a real person or organization.
U.S. Copyright Office · reviewed 2026-10-10
What this source supports: The Copyright Office circular describes how copyright arises, what registration provides, and how ownership transfers work.
Source limit: Ownership and licensing questions are fact-specific. The circular is general information, not legal advice.
These sources support the statements above. They do not show that every person needs this guide. They do not show a specific result.
This guide applies the general term rules from the Copyright Office summary. It does not confirm the status of a specific work.
Ownership and licensing questions are fact-specific. The circular is general information, not legal advice.
Use current instructions from the responsible organization. This guide is a planning aid, not an official decision or a substitute for qualified advice.
Turn a work type and one year into an earliest public-domain year under the general U.S. rule.
This App applies the general term rules from the Copyright Office summary. It does not confirm the status of a specific work.
You enter every number yourself. The sources support the method and the limits. They do not produce a result for your specific case. Keep the original documents next to the sheet you build.
The App computes the worked example with your own numbers, in your browser.
APP 1
Turn a work type and one year into an earliest public-domain year under the general U.S. rule.
Free · no account · no upload
Open Copyright Term Estimate SheetThe App runs in this browser. It does not send or save entries. Copy, download, or print only when you choose.
This guide uses short, direct instructions as an ASD-STE100-style writing target. It is not a formal certification.
Companion App: Copyright Term Estimate Sheet. It runs in this browser and does not upload your entries.
This guide is edited for clarity and checked against the sources it links. It is not a substitute for official instructions or qualified advice. A linked source does not show that every person needs this guide.