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Copyright Act 1994

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

24: Duration of copyright in communication works

You could also call this:

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

Illustration for Copyright Act 1994

You have copyright in a communication work for 50 years after it is first shared with the public. This 50-year period starts at the end of the calendar year the work was first shared. When this period ends, your copyright expires. You also have copyright in a work that is shared again, but only until the original copyright expires. If the original copyright has already expired, you do not have copyright in the repeated work. This means you cannot copyright a work that is shared again after the original 50-year period has ended.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM345934.

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

24Duration of copyright in communication works

  1. Copyright in a communication work expires at the end of the period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the communication work is first communicated to the public.

  2. Copyright in a repeated communication work expires at the same time as copyright in the initial communication work expires.

  3. There is no copyright in a repeated communication work that is communicated to the public after copyright in the initial communication work has expired.

Notes
  • Section 24: substituted, on , by section 16 of the Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Act 2008 (2008 No 27).