Basic Copyright Principles

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a Federal Law, Title 17, U.S. Code, that provides: “ a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors or “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.” The Copyright Revision Act of 1976 provides most of the current laws we follow today.

What does it do for you?

Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act gives the owner of a work, the following rights:

• To display the work publicly
• To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords
• To prepare derivative works based upon the work
• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the pubic by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental lease or lending
• To perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission

Since 1989 a work is protected as soon as it is created. Notice is no longer required, nor is registration. You cannot copyright ideas, facts, titles, names, short phrases or blank forms.

Works in the public domain may be freely used.  A chart, "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States 1 January 2007", explaining public domain is available at:
http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/.

The U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress, provides informational brochures on the copyright law and how it applies to various formats, i.e. music, art, etc. go to their website at: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/.