Copyright Basics
Fundamentals you should know
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
Guiding Questions
• What is copyright?
o What is protected under the law? What is not?
• What are copyright terms?
o How long do they last?
• What are some of the exceptions and
limitations of copyright?
• How can I copyright my own work?
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What is copyright?
Congress has the power, “…to promote the Progress
of Science and useful Arts, by securing for a limited
Time to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to
their respective Writings and Discoveries.”
- U.S Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 8
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What is copyright?
• U.S. Copyright law is not static
• Current copyright law grants the creator
(author, artist, composer, etc.) the exclusive
right to:
o Reproduce
o Prepare derivative works
o Distribute copies by sale (or other transfer of ownership), rental,
lease, or lending
o Perform a work publicly
o Display a work publicly
• This right lasts for a set amount of time
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What is protected?
• Copyright law protects works that are original
and fixed
o Original - the work must be unique and not a copy
o Fixed - the work must be written or recorded in a
tangible manner (digital works are considered
tangible)
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What is not protected?
• Copyright does not cover many things including:
o
o
o
o
o
Ideas
Titles
Processes
Works prepared by the federal government
Works that are in the public domain
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What are Copyright
Terms?
• Terms are the duration of copyright
• Terms vary depending on a number of factors:
o
o
o
o
Whether or not the work was published
Date of publication
If the author was an individual or a corporation
And more !
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What are the Exceptions
and Limitations?
• Copyright law has several exceptions and
limitations built into it
• Going to focus on the two you will likely
encounter most:
o Fair use
o Classroom exceptions
• To see the others look through copyright law beginning
at Section 107
o http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#
107
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
What is fair use?
• Fair use is a broad exception that allows people
to use a work without permission in certain
circumstances
• Four factors to consider:
o
o
o
o
What is the character or purpose of the use?
What is the nature of the material being used?
How much of the work will be used?
What effect will this use have on the market for the
original material?
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
How Can I Copyright My
Work?
• All fixed work is automatically copyrighted
• Visit http://www.copyright.gov/eco/ if you do
want to register your work online with the U.S.
Copyright office
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
Questions?
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
Resources
• Search for the status of copyrighted material from after 1978:
o http://www.copyright.gov/records/
• Search for the status of some copyrighted material from
before 1978:
o http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/
• Copyright Education & Consultation page on copyright
basics:
o http://blogs.cites.illinois.edu/library-copyright/copyrightbasics/
• Copyright Law
o http://www.copyright.gov/title17/
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program
More Info …
The Copyright Education & Consultation Program is
funded by a Library and Technical Services Grant
Administered by the Illinois State Library
Please visit our website at http://go.illinois.edu/copyright
Slides produced by the Copyright Education & Consultation Program