One Hundred Years

The sound recording of The Cure's song "One Hundred Years" from their 1987 album "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" is unequivocally protected under federal copyright law. This is due to its fixation date of 1987, which places it squarely within the provisions of the Music Modernization Act (MMA). The MMA, specifically 17 U.S.C. § 1401, extended federal copyright protection to sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, but it also solidifies the protection for recordings made on or after that date. Prior to the MMA, recordings made between February 15, 1972, and 1987 were generally protected under federal law. The MMA, enacted in 2018, harmonized copyright terms for all sound recordings, ensuring that those fixed after February 15, 1972, like "One Hundred Years," are subject to the standard federal term of copyright, which is life of the author plus 70 years, or 95 years for works made for hire. Given that The Cure was an active band in 1987 and this was a commercially released album by a major label (Fiction Records/Polydor), it is highly probable that the recording was created as a work made for hire, or the rights were assigned to the label. As a result, the sound recording for "One Hundred Years" will remain under federal copyright protection for 95 years from its publication date. This means that any use of this specific recording – including direct sampling, synchronization with visual media, or reproduction – requires permission from the copyright holder, typically the record label (Polydor/UMG) that owns the master recording.