American copyright laws, laws that prohibit the use, distribution, or adaptation of another’s product without permission, first applied only to the copying of books, but now cover such diverse products as sound recordings, motion pictures, and computer programs. The federal Copyright Act of 1790 allowed copyright protection for 14 years with one 14-year extension allowed (if the author survived the first 14-year term). The Copyright Act of 1909 extended copyright protection to 28 years with a 28-year renewal, and the Copyright Act of 1976 extended it further, to 75 years.
