1. Copyright Laws & Regulations

3. I. What is Copyright? Title 17 of U. S. Code
Protection provided by law
Protects the authors of “original works”
Copyright (©) – a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.

4. I. What is Copyright? What copyright is not:
Patent: a short-term monopoly
Trademark: identifying a product or service in the marketplace
Available to
Published and unpublished works
Section 106 of 1976 Copyright Act

5. I. What is Copyright?
Copyright gives exclusive rights and ability to authorize
Reproduction of work in copies or phonorecords
Derivative works based upon the work
Distribution of copies publicly by sale, transfer of ownership, rental, lease, or lending
Performance of the work publicly
Display of the work publicly
Performance of sound recordings* in public by digital audio transmission
* Sound recordings – “phonorecord”, cassette tapes, CDs, LPs, 45 i.e., disks, as well as other formats (e.g., Mp3)

6. I. What is Copyright? Copyright protects Literary works Dramatic works
Musical works
Artistic works*
* Artistic works – poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. 1

7. I. What is Copyright? Copyright does not protect Ideas Facts Systems
Methods of operation
However, it may protect the way these things are expressed

8. I. What is Copyright? When is the work protected?
The moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form
It is visible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device

9. II. Registration of Copyright
Rights of registration
Registration is voluntary
Copyright exists from the moment the work is created
To file a lawsuit for infringement, you will have to register
Copyright term depends on many factors:
Individuals: the life of the author(s) plus an additional 70 years
Corporations: for contract-out work and certain other works, copyright protection lasts 95 years from first publication

10. III. Use of Copyrighted Works
Fair Use Doctrine
A guideline that determines how much a copyrighted item can be used legally without permission
Section 107 of Title 17 U.S. code contains exceptions for reproduction of a particular work
Exceptions are
Criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research
Public domain items/works
Permission: consent to use a work by reproducing it in some other work.

11. III. Use of Copyrighted works
Rules of thumb
Limit the use of copies to single chapters
Single articles from a journal issue
Several charts, graphs, and illustrations
Others small parts of a work
See also

12. III. Use of Copyrighted works
Caveats
There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may be safely be taken without permission
Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission
Bottom Line
Document your research at all times (bibliography & footnotes)
If you publish copyrighted work on your own website or in another publication, get written permission.