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Does open source copyright / license expire?

This is a purely hypothetical question, but current copyright in the US is life + 70 (I think).

Some open source licenses require derivative work to also be open source.

My question is, do programmers no longer need to open the source code of a derivative if the license expires? What about other countries where copyright expiration may be shorter?

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2 answers

Copyright theoretically expires. At that time, work, if it had not been updated or was updated, would fall into the public domain.

But:

  • Mickey Mouse copyright extensions mean that every time a key work enters the public domain, the terms of copyright are extended.
  • Software from just 10 years ago does not matter at all - everything moves quickly.
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I’m not a lawyer (IANAL), but I understand that copyright is not completely related to open source licensing. In accordance with US law, the author of a literary or other creative work automatically protects the copyright of his work. No application or registration is required. This copyright may expire some time after the death of the author of the work. I don’t quite understand the details, and the fact that the “Micky Mouse” copyright extension continues to change does not limit clarity.

Open source licensing is not correct; it is a license that defines the terms and conditions under which source code can be used. The author decides which license terms to release the source code, and the licensees (consumers of this source code) belong to this license. If the copyright code is based on a previous work, the validity period of the copyright may be limited by the license of the previous work.

I am not aware of the license expiration date. They are essentially contracts, therefore, unless an expiration scenario is explicitly specified in the contract / license, the license terms are valid forever.

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