As a general rule, a copyright lasts for the life of the creator PLUS another 70 years. So your grandchildren and great-grandchildren can benefit from your creation well after you have left this ...

Applying and paying is not enough to clear the way for an infringement suit, the U.S. Supreme Court justices ruled in a blow to owners. The copyright register must also sign off, which can take weeks.

The opinion also notes that Congress has repeatedly "maintained registration as prerequisite to suit, and rejected proposals that would have eliminated registration or tied it to the copyright ...