# died more than 70 years ago

> method for determining copyright status

**Wikidata**: [Q96095089](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96095089)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/died-more-than-70-years-ago

## Summary
"Died more than 70 years ago" is a heuristic method for determining a creator's copyright status that marks a work as having passed 70 years after the author's death. In jurisdictions that apply a 70‑year post mortem auctoris (pma) term or shorter, this heuristic indicates that copyrights on the author's works have expired.

## Key Facts
- Instance of: a heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator.
- Primary rule: based on the cause "70 years after author's death."
- Has effect: copyrights on works have expired (qualified by 70 years after author's death; applies to countries with 70 years pma or shorter; also noted as "70 years or more after author(s) death").
- Applies to jurisdiction: countries with 70 years pma or shorter.
- Facet of: post mortem auctoris (the posthumous term for copyright).
- Opposite of: died less than 70 years ago.
- Different from: 70 years after author's death (as a phrase listed separately), died less than 70 years ago, countries with longer than 70 years pma, countries with 70 years pma or shorter, countries with 70 years pma, died more than 50 years ago, died more than 80 years ago, died more than 100 years ago.
- Has characteristic: 70 years or more after author(s) death.
- Aliases: morte il y a plus de 70 ans; mort il y a plus de 70 ans; mort ou morte depuis plus de 70 ans; morte depuis plus de 70 ans; mort depuis plus de 70 ans.
- Wikidata description: method for determining copyright status.

## FAQs
### Q: What does "died more than 70 years ago" mean in copyright terms?
A: It is a heuristic indicating that 70 years have passed since the author's death, and therefore, in applicable jurisdictions, copyrights on the author's works have expired.

### Q: Where does this heuristic apply?
A: It applies in countries with a 70 years post mortem auctoris (pma) term or shorter. In those jurisdictions, the heuristic is used to determine that works are no longer under copyright.

### Q: Is "died more than 70 years ago" the same as "died less than 70 years ago"?
A: No. "Died more than 70 years ago" is explicitly the opposite of "died less than 70 years ago" and signals that the 70‑year pma threshold has been passed.

## Why It Matters
The "died more than 70 years ago" heuristic provides a clear, time‑based test for whether an author's works are likely to be free of copyright restrictions in jurisdictions that use a 70‑year post mortem auctoris term. It simplifies rights assessment by tying copyright expiry to a single, verifiable event: the author's date of death plus 70 years. For archivists, librarians, publishers, and rights researchers working across jurisdictions that observe a 70‑year pma (or shorter), this rule is a practical standard for deciding whether works can be reused, digitized, or distributed without clearance. As a facet of the broader post mortem auctoris principle, this heuristic also helps distinguish between different national regimes (for example, those with longer or shorter pma terms) and supports consistent cataloging and metadata practices by providing a defined threshold for public‑domain status in the relevant jurisdictions.

## Notable For
- Being a specific time‑based heuristic tied to the 70‑year post mortem auctoris threshold.
- Serving as a facet of the legal concept post mortem auctoris used in copyright status determinations.
- Explicitly applying to countries with 70 years pma or shorter, distinguishing it from longer-pma jurisdictions.
- Having a clear opposite concept: "died less than 70 years ago," which denotes works still likely under copyright in those jurisdictions.
- Multiple aliases in French reflecting common phrasing used in rights metadata.

## Body
### Description
- "Died more than 70 years ago" is a method for determining copyright status.
- It is an instance of a heuristic used to decide whether an author's works have exceeded the applicable post mortem auctoris term.

### Core Rule and Cause
- Core rule: 70 years after the author's death.
- Has_cause property: "70 years after author's death."
- Has_characteristic: "70 years or more after author(s) death."

### Effect and Qualifications
- Has_effect: "copyrights on works have expired."
- Effect qualifiers:
  - P828: "70 years after author's death."
  - P1001: "countries with 70 years pma or shorter."
  - P1264: "70 years or more after author(s) death."

### Scope and Jurisdiction
- Applies_to_jurisdiction: countries with 70 years pma or shorter.
- The heuristic is intended for use where the national or regional copyright term is 70 years post mortem auctoris or a shorter term.

### Relations and Classification
- Facet_of: post mortem auctoris.
- Instance_of: heuristic for determination of copyright status of a creator.
- Opposite_of: died less than 70 years ago.
- Different_from (selected distinctions): 
  - 70 years after author's death (phrase listed separately),
  - countries with longer than 70 years pma,
  - died more than 50 years ago,
  - died more than 80 years ago,
  - died more than 100 years ago.

### Aliases and Language Variants
- French aliases: 
  - morte il y a plus de 70 ans
  - mort il y a plus de 70 ans
  - mort ou morte depuis plus de 70 ans
  - morte depuis plus de 70 ans
  - mort depuis plus de 70 ans

### Usage Notes
- Used as a reference heuristic when determining whether an author's works are likely no longer under copyright in applicable jurisdictions.
- Functions as a metadata or cataloging signal indicating expiry of copyright under the specified 70‑year rule.