What covers works created but not published before 1978?

The correct answer is that works created but not published before 1978 are covered by copyright for the life of the author plus 70 years. This means that copyright protection lasts for a significant duration after the creator's life, allowing their works to be protected well into the future.

Prior to the changes from the Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent amendments, which extended protection, works created but not published before 1978 had a unique status under the law. The law initially provided protection for the life of the author plus a certain number of years once those works were published or made public. However, for works that remained unpublished, the duration of protection continued regardless of the author's passing, emphasizing the importance of respecting and enforcing rights even for those works that had not been released into the public domain during the author's lifetime.

This aspect of copyright law ensures that the rights of authors to control the distribution and use of their unpublished works are preserved, thereby protecting their creative intentions and preventing unauthorized usage long after their death.