A more thorough explanation:

The Copyright Act of 1790 was the first law in the United States that protected the rights of authors. This law was similar to England's Statute of Anne, which also provided copyright protection to authors.

Under this law, authors were given copyright protection for 14 years. After the initial 14 years, the copyright could be renewed for another 14 years. Once the copyright protection period ended, the work became a part of the public domain.

For example, if an author wrote a book in 1790, they would have copyright protection for 14 years. If they renewed the copyright, they would have protection for another 14 years. After that, anyone could use or reproduce the book without permission.

This law was important because it allowed authors to have control over their work and to profit from it. It also encouraged creativity and innovation by providing a legal framework for protecting intellectual property.