A single “life plus 70” rule cannot answer every United States copyright question. Works first published before 1978 often depend on publication year, notice and renewal. Modern works usually depend on the creator’s death, unless the work is anonymous, pseudonymous or made for hire.
The first step is to identify the material. A composition and a recording of it are different works. A translated book contains the source text and the translator’s new expression. A restored film can include material that was not present in the original release.
For works published from 1923 through 1963, renewal is a decisive fact. Missing renewal data should produce a caution, not a public domain conclusion. Works published from 1964 through 1977 received automatic renewal and can receive a total term of 95 years.
The rule trace on each record shows which branch ran and which inputs it used. That trace is more useful than a bare status label because it exposes the fact that could change the answer.
Reviewed 2026-09-11. This guide is a research aid, not legal advice.