# creator who is not dead > copyright protected because the creator is alive on date of retreiving **Wikidata**: [Q63860166](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63860166) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/creator-who-is-not-dead ## Summary Creator who is not dead is a heuristic used to determine the copyright status of a creator, indicating that works are protected by copyright because the creator is alive on the date of retrieval. It is classified as a copyright determination method and requires the creator to be a living human. ## Key Facts - Aliases: artist still alive, author still alive, living creator, living artist, living author, author who is not dead, artist who is not dead, author is alive, author is not dead, creator is alive, creator is not dead, artist is alive, artist is not dead, alive author, alive creator, alive artist, auteur vivant, Autor lebt noch, Künstler lebt noch, lebender Urheber, 作者が存命, 作者が生存, 著作者が生存 - Has effect: works protected by copyrights - Instance of: copyright determination method - Instance of: heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator - Prerequisite: living human - Different from: recent publication - Different from: life of last surviving author - Wikidata description: copyright protected because the creator is alive on date of retreiving - Partially coincident with: born fewer than 70 years ago - Partially coincident with: born fewer than 50 years ago - Related: heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator [class] — used as a reference ## FAQs **What is the purpose of the “creator who is not dead” heuristic?** It serves as a rule‑of‑thumb for deciding whether a work is still under copyright by checking if the creator is alive at the time of retrieval. **What does it mean for a work to be protected under this heuristic?** If the creator is alive on the date of retrieval, the heuristic classifies the work as protected by copyrights. **What prerequisite must be met to apply this heuristic?** The creator must be a living human; without this condition the heuristic cannot be used. **How does this heuristic differ from “recent publication” and “life of last surviving author”?** It is explicitly defined as different from both recent publication and the life of the last surviving author, focusing solely on the creator’s current alive status rather than publication dates or co‑author survival. **What are some alternative names for this heuristic?** It is also known as artist still alive, author still alive, living creator, living artist, living author, author who is not dead, artist who is not dead, author is alive, author is not dead, creator is alive, creator is not dead, artist is alive, artist is not dead, alive author, alive creator, alive artist, auteur vivant, Autor lebt noch, Künstler lebt noch, lebender Urheber, 作者が存命, 作者が生存, 著作者が生存. **What does the heuristic partially coincide with in terms of the creator’s birth timeline?** It partially coincides with being born fewer than 70 years ago and also with being born fewer than 50 years ago. ## Why It Matters The heuristic provides a simple, observable criterion for determining whether a work remains under copyright, directly influencing which works are protected by copyrights. By tying protection to the creator’s alive status, it helps users, libraries, and digital platforms quickly assess legal reuse possibilities without needing to calculate complex term lengths. Its role as a copyright determination method makes it a practical tool in rights management and compliance workflows. ## Notable For - Serves as a heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator - Classified as a copyright determination method - Requires a living human as a prerequisite - Distinct from recent publication and life of last surviving author - Linked to works protected by copyrights as its effect - Described in Wikidata as “copyright protected because the creator is alive on date of retreiving” - Partially overlaps with birth‑age thresholds of fewer than 70 and fewer than 50 years - Referenced by the related class heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator ## Body ### Definition Creator who is not dead is a heuristic used to decide the copyright status of a creator. It declares that a work is protected by copyrights when the creator is alive on the date of retrieval. ### Aliases The heuristic is known by many alias strings across languages and contexts, including: artist still alive, author still alive, living creator, living artist, living author, author who is not dead, artist who is not dead, author is alive, author is not dead, creator is alive, creator is not dead, artist is alive, artist is not dead, alive author, alive creator, alive artist, auteur vivant, Autor lebt noch, Künstler lebt noch, lebender Urheber, 作者が存命, 作者が生存, 著作者が生存. ### Effect Applying this heuristic results in the effect that works are protected by copyrights. ### Classification It is an instance of two categories: - copyright determination method - heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator ### Prerequisite The heuristic can only be applied when the creator meets the prerequisite of being a living human. ### Differentiation It is explicitly defined as different from: - recent publication - life of last surviving author ### Wikidata Description Its Wikidata entry records the description: “copyright protected because the creator is alive on date of retreiving.” ### Partial Coincidence The heuristic partially coincides with two birth‑age conditions: - born fewer than 70 years ago - born fewer than 50 years ago ### Related Heuristic It is connected to the class “heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator” (property ), which is used as a reference for this concept.