1. Copyright Basics

2. Agenda What is Copyright? What Can Be Copyrighted?
How Long Does Copyright Last?
What is in the Public Domain?
What is Fair Use?
Alternatives to Copyright
Copyright in the News (MP3s, Copyright Extension)

3. What is Copyright?
Copyright allows authors, musicians, artists, etc. to make money off of their labor. It prevents others from taking there work for free. It also prevents people from altering the work without permission.

4. If There is No Copyright…
The main motive for creative endeavors (money) disappears. If authors can’t make a living writing, most will not write. If a record company can’t profit from a band, they will sign fewer bands and cut loose the money losers.
If copyright exists but can’t be enforced, the above still happens eventually. The end result is less creative content and hard to pirate distribution methods become preferred like print and closed databases.

5. What Can Be Protected? Literary Works Musical Works Dramatic Works
Choreographic Work
Pictorial, Graphic, and Sculptural Works
Motion Pictures and AV
Sound Recordings
Architectural Works

6. What Does Copyright Give Rights Holders?
Right to reproduce the work.
Right to prepare derivative works.
Right to distribute copies for sale.
Right to perform AV works publicly.
Right to display musical and artistic works publicly.

7. How Long Does Copyright Last?
A copyright last for life plus 70 years for individuals for anything on or after 1978.
A copyright lasts for 95 years for corporate authors after publication for anything on or after (It is 120 years after creation if not published.)
Works published before 1978 and after 1923 are protected for 95 years.

8. Copyright is Automatic
There is no need to include a copyright notice. (©, 2003). However, it is a good idea to do so due to ignorance.
The copyright is in force when the work is “fixed” which includes saving to disk or writing it on paper.

9. Public Domain
Anything in the public domain is useable by anyone in any way that they want. No one owns it.
Everything published before 1923 is in the public domain.
US federal works are in the public domain.
Authors can choose to put work in the public domain by including a notice that the item is in the public domain.

10. Public Domain Examples
Project Gutenberg (many sites including places classics in the public domain online which are scanned by volunteers.
The US Federal Government search engine FirstGov ( indexes public domain government info.
Most works published prior to 1923 are not online and are unlikely to be put online in the future do to the costs of scanning and hosting and the difficulty of profiting from this work.

11. What is Fair Use?
Use of material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Limitations apply. This includes consideration of the purpose, nature, amount and substantiality, and the effect of the use on potential value of work.

12. More Fair Use
You can use excerpts from a book to write a review of it. However, you can’t reproduce whole chapters of the book for reviewing purposes without permission.
A class dealing with film studies can screen a movie without payment for study purposes. However, no admission can be charged and only students in the class can attend the screening.
Difficult area that can get people in trouble. Consult an attorney if you are in doubt…

13. Alternatives to Copyright
Licenses – Creators can retain copyright but allow people to use content under certain terms. For example, the copyright can give schools to use content for free and without permission. Example: (
Open License – Others can use but must credit original source. Further, any version that others create must also have the open license and be useable by others as well. Example: (

14. Copyright in the News
Many object to recent extensions of copyright terms. Recent legislation extended copyright terms keeping pre-1923 as the beginning of the public domain. Disney and other corporations lobbied for this but it also erodes the concept of public domain as content is staying protected longer.

15. MP3 Files
And of course, the widespread piracy of music and movies has resulted in a crackdown by the respective industries.
The whole MP3 issue (and the bad attitudes which consumers have towards copyright) has convinced many publishers to distribute content in copy protected or non-computerized forms. Print is not dying…it is making a comeback.

16. Read… Please read the following short articles:
Courthouse Rock by Steve Levy and
Out of Tune by Barney Gimbel and Sarah Childress.
Will suing pirates work to stop piracy?
Is the music industry out of touch with consumers?
Does it matter morally?