When performing copyright research, you may have questions about copyright rules or terminology. For example, you may uncover a registration indicating the work is “made for hire,” or you may find a document indicating that the copyright has been “reclaimed” by the author. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about copyright ownership […]
While it’s true that no strings are attached to using public domain materials, you should be aware of certain potholes on the public domain highway, as described below. Multilayered Works Works such as movies or sound recordings may contain many underlying works, such as musical sound tracks, painted illustrations, or other works. There has been […]
The term “public domain” refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it. An important wrinkle […]
The Copyright Act at 17 U.S.C. § 108 provides a set of rules regarding library reproductions. In general, a library or archive open to the public (or whose collection is available to specialized researchers other than those affiliated with the institution) will not be liable for copyright infringement based upon a library patron’s unsupervised use of […]
Unlike academic coursepacks, other copyrighted materials can be used without permission in certain educational circumstances under copyright law or as a fair use. “Fair use” is the right to use portions of copyrighted materials without permission for purposes of education, commentary, or parody. Special fair use rules for educational purposes are discussed in this section. […]
Copyright infringement occurs whenever copyrighted material is copied from or posted to a website without authorization from the copyright owner. This section discusses the various ways that information can be transferred between your site and its users and the copyright disputes that may arise with each. Posting Information on a Website Ignore Heading – Sub […]
This section provides five simple rules for your website. Assume It’s Protected As a general rule, it is wise to operate under the assumption that all works are protected by either copyright or trademark law unless conclusive information indicates otherwise. A work is not in the public domain simply because it has been posted on […]
If you’re a teacher, you should know if and when you may legally record educational TV programs and use them in your classroom. As educators find that books and lectures don’t impress or excite today’s image-saturated youth, televisions and big-screen monitors are becoming as common in the classroom as blackboards. There is even a special […]
This section outlines the basic steps for obtaining permission. Subsequent sections provide more detailed information about this process for each type of permission you may be seeking, whether for text, photographs, music, or artwork. In general, the permissions process involves a simple five-step procedure: Determine if permission is needed. Identify the owner. Identify the rights […]
These frequently asked questions explain what a copyright is and what exactly it protects. Ignore Heading – Content What types of creative work does copyright protect? Copyright protects works such as poetry, movies, streaming audio and video, video games, plays, paintings, sheet music, recorded music performances, novels, software code, sculptures, photographs, choreography, and architectural designs. […]
