Which statement correctly compares the duration of recording copyright in the US and the UK?

Which statement correctly compares the duration of recording copyright in the US and the UK?

• A. In the US, 70 years; in the UK 95 years.
• B. In the US, 95 years from release; in the UK, 70 years from release.
• C. In both, 70 years from creation.
• D. In both, life of songwriter plus 70.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that recording copyrights (sound recordings) have different fixed terms in different countries. In the United States, the modern rule for sound recordings is a fixed term of 95 years from the date of first publication (release). That means a recording released in 1960 would enter the public domain 95 years later, at the end of that year. In the United Kingdom, the term is 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the recording was first published or released, so the clock ends on December 31 of the 70th year after release. So the best choice states that US protection lasts 95 years from release, while UK protection lasts 70 years from release. The other patterns don’t match how recording rights are actually timed: mixing 70 years for the US, or 95 years from release for the UK, or tying it to the creator’s life plus 70, would apply to different kinds of rights (like the underlying composition or different historical terms), not to sound recordings.

The key idea is that recording copyrights (sound recordings) have different fixed terms in different countries. In the United States, the modern rule for sound recordings is a fixed term of 95 years from the date of first publication (release). That means a recording released in 1960 would enter the public domain 95 years later, at the end of that year. In the United Kingdom, the term is 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the recording was first published or released, so the clock ends on December 31 of the 70th year after release.

So the best choice states that US protection lasts 95 years from release, while UK protection lasts 70 years from release. The other patterns don’t match how recording rights are actually timed: mixing 70 years for the US, or 95 years from release for the UK, or tying it to the creator’s life plus 70, would apply to different kinds of rights (like the underlying composition or different historical terms), not to sound recordings.