Public Law 102-307, enacted on June 26, 1992, amended the copyright law to make renewal automatic and renewal registration optional for works originally copyrighted between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977.

Public Law 105-298, enacted on October 27, 1998, added an additional 20 years to the overall term of copyright protection.

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+ COPYRIGHTS ALREADY IN THEIR SECOND TERM ON JANYARY 1, 1978:  The
  duration of the copyright term has automatically been prolonged to
  last for a total of 95 years.  No further renewal registration is
  necessary.

+ COPYRIGHTS IN THEIR FIRST TERM ON JANUARY 1, 1978:  Renewal registration
  was still necessary to obtain the second term for works copyrighted
  between January 1, 1950, and December 31, 1963.  Renewal registration is
  optional for works copyrighted between January 1, 1964, and December
  31, 1977.  In both cases, the renewal copyright is longer than the term
  in effect before 1978.  The renewal term extends the copyright for a
  full term of 95 years.

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======= COPYRIGHTS IN THEIR SECOND TERM:  AUTOMATIC EXTENSION OF DURATION ================================================
================

RENEWED COPYRIGHTS AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDED TO MAXIMUM OF 95 YEARS

Under the statute, copyrights that had already been renewed and were in their second term at any time between December 31, 1976, and December 31, 1977, inclusive, were automatically extended in duration.  The total length of these copyrights is now 95 years from the end of the year in which they were originally secured.

EXAMPLE:  A work that was first copyrighted on April 10, 1923, and renewed between April 10, 1950, and April 10, 1951, would formerly have fallen into the public domain after April 10, 1979.  The current law extends this copyright through the end of 2018.

These second-term copyrights cannot be renewed again.  Under the law, their extension to the maximum 95-year term is automatic and requires no action in the Copyright Office.

A SPECIAL SITUATION: 
COPYRIGHTS REGISTERED FOR RENEWAL BETWEEN DECEMBER 31, 1976, AND
DECEMBER 31, 1977

The automatic extension also applied to copyrights that were the subject of a renewal registration between December 31, 1976, and December 31, 1977, even though their second term was not scheduled to commence until sometime in 1978.

EXAMPLE:  A work was first copyrighted on July 29, 1950, and a renewal registration was made on September 1, 1977.  The second term of copyright was automatically extended through the end of 2045 without the need of any further renewal.

ANOTHER SPECIAL SITUATION:  COPYRIGHTS MORE THAN 56 YEARS OLD