The copyright of a literary work usually lasts for 50 years, but the specific period of protection is stipulated by the copyright law. During the term of copyright protection, the copyright owner holds the copyright and no one can use or modify it without permission. If the copyright owner dies, the copyright will be extended for 50 years until the upper limit of the copyright protection period is reached. It should be noted that the copyright protection period of a literary work is not unlimited. If the copyright owner makes commercial use or modification during the copyright protection period, the copyright owner will have to pay the copyright fee to the new copyright owner. In addition, if the copyright owner did not use or modify it for commercial purposes, the copyright would still be protected until the upper limit of the copyright protection period after death.
The term of protection for the copyright of a work was generally for the lifetime of the author and fifty years after the author's death, ending on December 31 of the fiftieth year after the author's death. If it was a cooperative work, the protection period would end on December 31, the fiftieth year after the death of the last deceased author. For works of legal entities or other organizations, as well as works made for the service of legal entities or other organizations, the term of protection shall be fifty years, ending on December 31 of the fiftieth year after the first publication of the work. It should be noted that works that have not been published within 50 years after the creation will no longer be protected by law. Therefore, the copyright of a work was generally for the lifetime of the author and fifty years after his death.
How long is the copyright protection period of the work? The term of copyright protection of a work is enjoyed by the author, usually for 50 years. However, according to the third paragraph of article 21 of the copyright law, if the author's copyright had not expired and the author died, the term of protection of the copyright would be extended for 50 years. In addition, if the author's copyright is extended due to other national regulations, this regulation will also apply. Therefore, the author of a novel was free to choose whether to extend the copyright protection period for 50 years or to wait until 50 years later.
The copyright protection period of a cooperative work is generally agreed upon by the copyright owners themselves, but the longest is not more than 20 years. The specific protection period is calculated as follows: 1. The term of protection of a copyright starts from the date of completion of the creation. The copyright has priority over the protection of other rights. 2. The copyright protection period of each work in the joint work can be calculated separately or according to the agreement between the joint copyright owners. 3. If the time of completion of each work in the cooperative work is quite different, the term of protection should be determined according to the time of completion of each work. If the time of completion of the work is similar, the term of protection can be determined according to the agreement between the co-copyright owners. 4. The term of copyright protection of a cooperative work may not be clearly stipulated, but if each copyright owner believes that their rights have been violated, they shall claim their rights on their own and bear the legal consequences such as litigation. It should be noted that the copyright protection period of a cooperative work does not include the protection period of the personal attachment rights (such as the right of authorization, the right of modification, etc.) enjoyed by the copyright owner after the creation of the work. Therefore, after the copyright protection period of the cooperative work expired, the personal attachment right was still protected.
According to the definition of the copyright law, literary works referred to creative works that were based on creative inspiration through words, music, painting, sculpture, photography, etc., which had aesthetic value, depth of thought, logical structure, and other aspects. Douluo Continent was a fantasy novel that used a fictional fantasy world as the background to tell the story of Tang San and the others cultivating and fighting on Douluo Continent. Although the story, character setting, and worldview of Douluo Continent were all fictional, it had a unique aesthetic value, depth of thought, and logical structure. Therefore, it could be regarded as a literary work. Hence, from the perspective of copyright, Douluo Continent could be regarded as a literary work.
The time limit of the copyright was the author's lifetime and 50 years after his death.
The term of protection of property rights in the copyright of an individual's work was usually 20 years, but the specific term of protection was determined by the specific provisions of the copyright law. According to the copyright law, the author's basic rights, such as the right of authorization, the right of modification, and the right to protect the integrity of the work, are protected for 20 years respectively. However, the copyright law also provides that within 20 years after the completion of the creation of the work, the author has other priority rights, such as permission to others to copy, distribute, rent, exhibit, perform, show, information network transmission, etc. to use the work and receive remuneration. If the author is still alive after 20 years and his work has not been damaged in any way, he can continue to enjoy the above rights. If the author died, the duration of protection of his work would be determined according to the specific circumstances at the time of his death.
The copyright protection of literary works included the following aspects: 1. The copyright takes effect when the author creates a literary work. The copyright will automatically belong to the author unless the author transfers or permits others to use it before the copyright takes effect. 2. Protecting the copyright: The author can use the copyright to protect his own creation from being used by others without authorization. 3. Exhibition, performance, adaptation, translation, etc. of copyright: When a literary work is authorized to be exhibited, performed, adapted, translated, etc., the copyright is also protected accordingly. 4. Infraction of copyright: When the copyright of a literary work is violated by others, the author can defend his own rights and interests through an action of copyright violation. 5. Protection of copyright: In order to further strengthen the protection of copyright, many countries have formulated relevant laws and regulations to protect the copyright of literary works more strictly. The copyright protection of literary works was very important. The creators could protect their own creations through copyright, and at the same time, they could also protect the rights and interests of the readers.
The duration of copyright on novels varies by country. In many places, it lasts for the author's lifetime plus a certain number of years after their death. For example, in the United States, it's typically the author's life plus 70 years.
The duration of copyright protection depends on the provisions of the copyright law. In China, the duration of copyright protection was calculated from the date of creation, which was September 10, 1982. The date of creation of a work is not regarded as the date of establishment of the copyright. The copyright owner can exercise his rights at will until his rights are exhausted or he dies. According to the copyright law, copyright includes the rights of the copyright owner and the copyright heir. After the death of the copyright owner, his heir could inherit the copyright but had to pay the corresponding inheritance tax. After the copyright protection period ends, the work will automatically lose its copyright, but the publishing house or performer to which the work belongs can still enjoy the relevant copyright protection. After the end of the copyright protection period, if the work is still legally original, the relevant rights and interests can continue to be protected through other means such as trademark rights, patent rights, trade secrets, etc.
The copyright of a literary work usually includes copyright protection during the author's lifetime and after his death. The copyright is the private property of the author during his lifetime, but after his death, the copyright of his work usually passes to his heir or copyright owner. If the work is oral or written, the duration of copyright protection depends on the type of work and the laws of the place where it is located. For example, oral works were usually protected for only 10 years, while written works could be protected for 20 or 50 years. After the copyright protection period of the work ends, the author or the copyright owner can sell, rent, transfer or share the copyright. These actions should be in accordance with applicable laws and respect the rights of the copyright owner. In addition, the scope of copyright protection also depended on the law. In some countries, copyright included the adaptation, translation, compilation, performance, screening, broadcasting, and information network transmission of works. Therefore, when creating a work, the author needs to consider the local legal provisions to ensure that his work meets the scope of copyright protection.