What is the video game copyright period?

Answer 1

Virtually all Video Games were produced post 1978. This means their copyrights are not due to expire for 70 years past the death of the author. The only exceptions would be games produced as "work-for-hire" which have a term of either 95 years past publication or 125 years post creation, whichever is shorter.

Answer 2

It depends when and where they originated, and if copyright is ascribed to an individual or a company. If an individual created a board game today in Mexico, for example, it would be protected for his entire life plus 100 years. If a company created a board game in 1950 in Canada, it would have entered the public domain in 2000. If I created a game today in the US, it would be protected for my entire life plus 70 years, but if I created it as a work-for-hire for my employer, it would be protected for 95 years from release or 120 years from creation, whichever is earlier.

Because apparently that's not elaborate enough, many familiar games are additionally registered as trademarks, which can be protected in perpetuity as long as they are in use.

Answer 3

-Like all intellectual copyrights, 100 years, assuming it was in the U.S. patent office. If you're curious if its legally "okay" to run or download ROMs of video games, its generally not.

Answer 4

Yes. In the US (and many other countries), copyright expires 70 years after the death of the creator of the work.