When do copyrights expire?

[SweetLilRachy00]

Do copyrighted items have an expiration date? After so many years or whatever?

 

I have this really old mag. from the 70's that has a bunch of patterns in them. Well, I've seen them scanned and posted online. Isn't this copyright infringement in some way?

 

Also if something does 'expire' is it therefore a public pattern and you can make and sell?

[Amy]

This site has some very good information about when copyrighted items enter the public domain.

 

If the patterns you're talking about were published with notice (the little copyright symbol or other information about copyright), then they are not yet in the public domain.

 

You'll find that there are quite a few people on the internet who ignore copyright law (some deliberately; some just because they don't know the law) and post things that they shouldn't.

[ErinLindsey]

Do copyrighted items have an expiration date? After so many years or whatever?

 

I have this really old mag. from the 70's that has a bunch of patterns in them. Well, I've seen them scanned and posted online. Isn't this copyright infringement in some way?

 

Also if something does 'expire' is it therefore a public pattern and you can make and sell?

 

It depends on when they were published and how they were published. The link that Amy gave you is a good one to learn about copyrights from.