The distinction between "idea" and "expression" is fundamental to copyright law. This distinction is called the idea–expression dichotomy.
8 cfr green card five years full#
It was not until a full 180 years after its establishment that it was significantly extended beyond that, Copyright Act of 1976 to "Either 75 years or the life of the author plus 50 years" and the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 (also called the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act", because it prevented the copyright from expiring on the first commercial success of the cartoon character Mickey Mouse), which increased it even more, to 120 years, or the life of the author plus 70 years. 40 years later, the initial term was changed to 28 years. The length of copyright established by the Founding Fathers was short, 14 years, plus the ability to renew it one time, for 14 more. federal copyright law, the Copyright Act of 1790. United States copyright law traces its lineage back to the British Statute of Anne, which influenced the first U.S. Main article: History of copyright law of the United States