How long does a copyright last?

How long do movies, Music files hold their copyright notices?

• For a long time now I been wanting to ask this and I'm not sure if any one knows. I do know that any one can download free movies and music for free. I do know that some sites you have to pay for them. My question is that how long do Movie and Music files hold their copyright notices. When you download a movie file or a music file they have a copyright notice on all this. So if you download these files. Are you downloading illegal movies and music. So the main question is how long does the copyright notices hold on these files. I do know that these files can't hold their copyright notices for ever.

• Answer:

  In the US, typically copyrights are for 70-100 years. They can be extended by whoever inherits them. Movies tend to be re-copyrighted by the studios that make them. And, since most Mp3s and movies were made sometime in our lifetime, go with "after we're dead." ;) The copyright notice we receive when we buy them (and it's usually only legal to get them by buying them) means we can watch, but can't copy it so others can get it for free and can't sell it. We're not buying copyrights; we're buying permission to watch or listen on our own.