For human authors, the copyright term lasts which of the following?

• A. Life of the author + 70 years
• B. 95 years from date of publication or 120 years from date of creation
• C. 70 years after date of publication
• D. This duration does not apply to human authors

Answer: (A)

Copyright duration for human-authored works is measured as the life of the author plus 70 years after the author’s death. This means the author enjoys copyright protection during their lifetime, and after death the protection lasts an additional 70 years for heirs or successors. The 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation rule applies only to works made for hire, anonymous, or pseudonymous works, not to typical human-authored works. The idea of protection ending 70 years after publication isn’t correct for most cases, since it ignores the author’s lifetime, and saying that this duration doesn’t apply to human authors is also incorrect.