[quote name=\'mitchgroff\' post=\'205187\' date=\'Dec 31 2008, 01:31 PM\']Something I've wondered for awhile: when any given episode of a show hits "public domain," that has something to do with the age of the show, right? 50 years or something?
If it's 50 years, does that mean that Match Game 73 will be in public domain in 2023?[/quote]
It's a lot more complicated, and in most cases, a lot more than fifty years.
Best as I can tell, something like Match Game '7X, since it was 'first published' between 1964 and 1977, would be protected for a total of 95 years. That's an original 28-year window and an automatic extension of 67 years.
Continuing with best-as-I-can-tell, television programs that fall into 'public domain' would include anything made before 1964 that ALSO didn't have its original 28-year copyright term renewed. However, again, it's complicated.