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Neither patents nor copyrights in the US can be renewed.

Patents are filed for and valid from 20 years from filing, on grant, with no renewal.

Copyright is automatic and extends for author's life + 70 years, or for anonymous or works-for-hire, the shorter of 120 years from creation or 90 years from publication.

Copyright prior to 1976 was for a term of 28 years, extensible once, both requiring registration.



For patents, you do need to pay maintenance fees up to the 20 years, however (at 3.5 years, 7.5 years, and 11.5 years, with increasing costs, but they aren't particularly high)


Thanks. I think I may have known that, once.




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