body: According to [this link](http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm) if a work was published in 1969 then the copyright would be for 95 years after publication date.
  
  
  If the original author has died, is there any method for descendants to modify the copyright, specifically something like releasing the work into the public domain? 
  
  
  Maybe related that would help answer the question would be this - can copyright be transferred to descendants? If it were transferred, e.g., in a will, does the original length of the copyright still apply, just that the ownership would be to the new owners?
  
  
  
title: Can descendants modify copyright of parent's work?