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Copyright Act 1994

Description, ownership, and duration of copyright - Duration of copyright

23: Duration of copyright in sound recordings and films

You could also call this:

"How long copyright lasts for music and films"

Illustration for Copyright Act 1994

You own the copyright to a sound recording or film for 50 years. This 50-year period starts from the end of the year you made the work. If you make the work available to the public before the end of that 50-year period, the 50 years start from the end of the year you made it available. You make a sound recording or film available to the public when you first publish it or show it to the public. For a film, this means when you first show it in public or play it in public. The 50-year period starts from the end of the year this happens. The law says when the copyright expires, which is 50 years after the work is made or made available to the public, whichever is later. This is according to the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008. You can find more information about this law on the New Zealand legislation website.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM345933.

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22: Duration of copyright in literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic works, or

"How long copyright lasts for things you create"

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24: Duration of copyright in communication works, or

"How long your copyright lasts for things you share with the public"

Part 1Description, ownership, and duration of copyright
Duration of copyright

23Duration of copyright in sound recordings and films

  1. Copyright in a sound recording or film expires—

  2. at the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work is made; or
    1. if it is made available to the public by an authorised act before the end of that period, 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which it is so made available,—
        1. whichever is the later.

      1. For the purposes of subsection (1), a sound recording or film is made available to the public when—

      2. the work is first—
        1. published; or
          1. communicated to the public; or
          2. in the case of a film or film soundtrack,—
            1. the work is first shown in public; or
              1. the work is first played in public.

              Compare
              • 1962 No 33 ss 13(3), 14(3)
              Notes
              • Section 23(2): substituted, on , by section 15 of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).