Will software ever enter the public domain?
<p>Works enter the public domain after ... years from publication. But most software these days is not sold but "licensed" (per EULA). So the recipient never received said "software", he's just using someone else's work (kind of like me using Google search, its code never enters the public domain).</p>

<p>Does that mean that code is considered to have never been "published"?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Works enter the public domain after ... years from publication.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In the United States, this is incorrect for some works and incomplete for the rest. Currently, most works are copyrighted for the life of the author plus 70 years; publication date doesn't affect the copyright term. Works made for hire (such as code written for Google by an employee), anonymous works, and pseudonymous works are copyrighted for 95 years after publication <strong>or 120 years after creation</strong>, whichever is shorter.</p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Publication</a> is to make content available to the general public. It doesn't matter if this is done by sale, lease or licence.</p>

<p>Copyright expires a given number of years after <em>creation</em> - publication is irrelevant.</p>

<p>In the UK, works for hire have copyright for life of author + 70 years. The work that I'm working on right now has several creators of different ages so most likely the copyrights will run out bit by bit over time. Not that it matters much to me (and you) because I'll be dead for 70 years or more when it happens, and that's also 70 years time for laws to change.</p>

copyright software