Result
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Estimate for a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work by an individual author, made public during their lifetime, under the general rule of the Copyright Act 1968: the year of death plus 70 years. Works whose authors died before 1955 were already in the public domain on 1 January 2005, when the term went from 50 to 70 years, and stay there. Works never made public, anonymous works, sound recordings, films and Crown works follow their own rules.
How long does copyright last in Australia?
For a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work made public during the author's lifetime, copyright generally lasts for the author's life and 70 years after the end of the year of their death (Copyright Act 1968). The term went from 50 to 70 years on 1 January 2005: works whose authors died before 1955 were already in the public domain and stay there.
Special cases
- Works of joint authorship: the term runs from the death of the last surviving author.
- Works never made public, anonymous and pseudonymous works, Crown works: the Act sets their own terms, which changed on 1 January 2019.
- Sound recordings and films: these have their own terms, counted from when they were made or made public.
Public domain does not mean everything is free
A public domain work can be used freely. A recent translation, adaptation or photograph of that work, however, can have its own copyright.