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07E 1962-1976 extensions of second-term renewal dates

Copyright Office Layman Publications to Read

“EXAMPLE: A work that was first entered for copyright on October 5, 1907, and renewed in 1935, would formerly have fallen into the public domain after October 5, 1963. The first Act extended the copyright to December 31, 1965; the second Act extended it to December 31, 1967; the third Act extended it to December 31, 1968; the fourth Act extended it to December 31, 1969; the fifth Act extended it to December 31, 1970; the sixth Act extended it to December 31, 1971; the seventh Act extended it to December 31, 1972; the eighth Act extended it to December 31, 1974; the ninth Act extended it to December 31, 1976, and the Copyright Act of 1976 finally extended the copyright through the end of 1982 (75 years from the end of the year in which the copyright was originally secured).”  (Information Circular 15t)

“The duration of any copyright, the renewal term of which is subsisting at any time between December 31, 1976, and December 31, 1977, inclusive, or for which renewal registration is made between December 31, 1976, and December 31, 1977, inclusive, is extended to endure for a term of seventy-five years from the date copyright was originally secured.

“The effective date of this provision was October 19, 1976. That effective date provision is contained in Appendix I, herein, as section 102 of the Transitional and Supplementary Provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976. Copyright Act of 1976, Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat. 2541, 2598.

“In addition, prior to the 1976 Copyright Act, Congress enacted a series of nine interim extensions for works whose copyright protection began between September 19, 1906, and December 31, 1918, if they were in their renewal terms. Without these interim extensions, copyrights commencing during that time period would have otherwise expired after 56 years, at the end of their renewal terms, between September 19, 1962, and December 31, 1976. The nine Acts authorizing the interim extensions are as follows, in chronological order:

“Pub. L. No. 87-668, 76 Stat. 555 (extending copyrights from September 19, 1962, to December 31, 1965)

“Pub. L. No. 89-142, 79 Stat. 581 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1967)

“Pub. L. No. 90-141, 81 Stat. 464 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1968)

“Pub. L. No. 90-416, 82 Stat. 397 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1969)

“Pub. L. No. 91-147, 83 Stat. 360 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1970)

“Pub. L. No. 91-555, 84 Stat. 1441 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1971)

“Pub. L. No. 92-170, 85 Stat. 490 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1972)

“Pub. L. No. 92-566, 86 Stat. 1181 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1974)

“Pub. L. No. 93-573, 88 Stat. 1873 (extending copyrights to December 31, 1976)”  (Information Circular 92, ch 3 endnotes)

Following the above public laws, the Copyright Act of 1976 extended copyrights in their renewal term of the end of year in which the 75th anniversary of the original registration occurred.

Other Information

  

Table: Interim Copyright Extensions 1962-1976

The following table shows when the previous public laws were passed, matched to the expiration date that each brought terms up through:

Public Law No. Year passed Year term expires (Dec. 31)
87-668 1962 1965
89-142 1965 1967
90-141 1967 1968
90-416 1968 1969
91-147 1969 1970
91-555 1970 1971
92-170 1971 1972
92-566 1972 1974
93-573 1974 1976
94-553 1976 75th year
 

 

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