Section 22 of CA, 1957 : Section 22: Term Of Copyright In Published Literary, Dramatic, Musical And Artistic Works

Except as otherwise hereinafter provided, copyright shall subsist in any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work published within the lifetime of the author until sixty years from the beginning of the calendar year next following the year in which the author dies.

Explanation - In this section the reference to the author shall, in the case of a work of joint authorship, be construed as a reference to the author who dies last.

In simpler terms, unless stated otherwise, copyright protection is granted for works like books, plays, music, or art that are published while the author is alive. This protection lasts for 60 years starting from January 1st of the year after the author passes away.

Plain English Explanation - When a work is created by more than one person, the 60-year copyright term is based on the life of the author who lives the longest.

Consider this scenario: John, a novelist, published a book in 1980 and passed away in 2000. According to Section 22 of The Copyright Act, 1957, the copyright for John's book will remain in effect until 2060, which is 60 years from the beginning of the calendar year following the year of John's death.

Now, let's modify the situation a bit. Suppose John co-wrote this book with his friend Mark, and Mark passed away in 2010. In this case, considering the explanation in the Act, the copyright will remain in effect until 2070, which is 60 years after the year in which Mark, the last surviving author, died.