can’t IP be sold to a company that is “alive” for as long as it’s financially viable.

I always wonder when copyright runs out for artist who sold their collections to companies.

> I always wonder when copyright runs out for artist who sold their collections to companies.

This question is straightforward to answer with a single web search, so if you "always wonder" try looking.

In this case it's the creator, not the owner.

What is "financially viable"? Just hoarding copyrighted materials and not distributing them in order to create artificial scarcity could meet that criteria.