UK copyright expiry calculator for hymn and poem words

In the UK the words stay in copyright for 70 years after the end of the year their writer died. Type that year.

A writer who died in 1965: under the 70-year rule the words stay in copyright until the end of 2035. The first day they can be free to print is 1 January 2036.

This is the longest the UK term can be. The cases where it is shorter, or counted differently, are listed below.

Worked examples

The named rows come from the table of 20 funeral hymns, poems and readings, which also lists the ones that are already free.

The rule in the Act’s own words

“Copyright expires at the end of the period of 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies, subject as follows.” That is section 12(2) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, read 10 November 2026. GOV.UK gives the same term for written, dramatic, musical and artistic work: “70 years after the author’s death” (GOV.UK, “How long copyright lasts”, read 10 November 2026).

When the sum does not settle it

• More than one writer. For words written jointly, the Intellectual Property Office gives the term as “70 years from the year in which the last surviving author dies.” (Intellectual Property Office, “Copyright Notice: Duration of copyright (term)”, read 10 November 2026). Use the later year.
• Words from abroad. Under section 12(6), words first published in another country by a writer who is not a UK national keep the term they have in that country if it is shorter. The calculator does not work out foreign terms.
• Translations and new versions. The English words of an old foreign hymn belong to the translator, and their 70 years run from the translator’s death.
• No known writer. Section 12(3) counts 70 years from the year the work was made or first made available to the public.
• Church licences. A church that holds a copyright licence reports what it prints. The Methodist Church’s guidance notes: “Songs which are in the Public Domain, because the author has been dead for more than 70 years, do not need to be reported under the CCL.” (The Methodist Church, “Copyright when using hymns”, read 10 November 2026). For words still in copyright, ask the minister or celebrant who holds permission.

This page gives information, not legal advice. Facts were checked on 10 November 2026.

Questions

How do I work out when a hymn’s words come out of copyright in the UK?

Find the year the writer of the words died and add 70. Copyright lasts until the end of that year, so the words are free to print from 1 January of the year after. If two or more people wrote the words together, count from the death of the last of them.

Does the calculator work for the tune as well?

The same 70-year rule applies to a composer, counted from the composer’s death. Printing words in a booklet does not involve the tune.

When is the answer not that simple?

When the words were first published in another country by a writer who is not a UK national, the UK term can be shorter than life plus 70 years. A modern translation or rewording has its own writer and its own term. And where the writer is unknown, the 70 years run from when the work was made or first made available.