Works consisting entirely of information that is common property and containing no original authorship. T h e t e r m o f c o p yr i g h t f o r a p a rti c ul a r w o rk d e p e n d s o n s e v e r a l f a c t o rs, in cl u d in g w h e t h e r it h a s b e e n p u b lis h e d, a n d, if s o, t h e d a t e o f fir st p u b li c a ti o n. A s a g e n e r a l r ul e, f o r w o rk s c r e a t e d a ft e r J a n u a ry 1, , c o p yr i g h t p r o t e c ti o n l a st s f o r t h e lif e o f t h e a u t h o r p lu s a n a d d iti o n a l 7 0 y e a rs. F o r a n a n o n y m o u s w o rk, a p s e u d o n y m o u s w o rk, o r a w o rk m a d e f o r hi r e, t h e c o p yr i g h t e n d u r e s f o r a t e r m o f 9 5 y e a rs fr o m t h e y e a r o f it s fir st p u b li c a ti o n o r a t e r m o f y e a rs fr o m t h e y e a r o f it s c r e a ti o n, w hi c h e v e r e x p ir e s fir st. F o r w o rk s fir st p u b lis h e d p ri o r t o , t h e t e r m w ill v a ry d e p e n d in g o n s e v e r a l f a c t o rs.

 What is copyright?  Copyright initially was conceived as a way for government to restrict printing; the contemporary intent of copyright is to promote the creation of new works by giving authors control of and profit from them.

 Literary works;  Musical works, including any acDramatic works, including any accompanying music  Pantomimes and choreographic works  Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works  Motion pictures and other audiovisual works companying words Sound recordings  Architectural works

 Copyrights are generally owned by the people who create the works of expression,with some exceptions  If a work is created by an employee in the coarse pf his or her employment,the employer owns the copyright.

 various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair.

 A derivative work is a work based on or derived from one or more already existing works. Common derivative works include translations, musical arrangements, motion picture versions of literary material or plays, art reproductions,abridgments, and condensations of preexisting works. Another common type of derivative work is a “new edition” of a preexisting work in which the editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications represent, as a whole, an original work.

 he Copyright Royalty Board is a U.S. system of three Copyright Royalty Judges who determine rates and terms for copyright statutory licenses and make determinations on distribution of statutory license royalties collected by the United States Copyright Office of the Library of Congress.

 If you use a copyrighted work without permission and your usage is not exempt under copyright law, you are infringing upon the copyright holder's rights. The copyright holder can sue you for actual damages or loss of profits. The copyright holder may also seek statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringement

 Copyright law grants the exclusive right to use, copy, distribute, display and perform a copyrighted work to the owner of the copyright. The owner of the copyright is the only entity that may grant permission for anyone to use, copy, distribute, display and perform the work. Certain uses of copyrighted works do not require permission from the copyright owner and these uses are known as 'Fair Use.'

 Your name  Your address,Your telephone and fax numbers;  Your address, if possible (especially if you are requesting electronic rights);  An exact description of the work you want to use (if possible, include a copy; if not, be as specific as possible);  An exact description of where you intend to use the work:  Names of all authors;  Approximate size of your entire work.Publisher, URL, or other source through which others will have access to your work;  Proposed publication date of your work;  If known, the anticipated "life" of your work;  If appropriate, the price of your work; and  An estimate of the number of copies of your work to be printed, or other appropriate distribution count.

 Copyright is secured automatically when a work is created. A work is "created" when it is fixed in a tangible form for the first time. For example, a song (the "work") can be fixed in sheet music, phonograph disks or both. No publication, registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. There are, however, definite advantages to registration, including the ability to sue for infringement.

 The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. For works first published prior to 1978, the term will vary depending on several factors.