Research Guides: Copyright: Begin Here

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More About Copyright

Copyright@CUNY
CUNY copyright policies and explanation of the laws.
CUNY Intellectual Property Policy
CUNY policy on intellectual property, a broader concept than copyright. Discusses whom owns copyrightable works.
Copyright Basics
U.S. Copyright Office (Library of Congress)
U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress
Includes how to register a copyright; tutorials, publications (with forms); how to search records, news and rule making information; in English and Spanish.
American Association of Law Libraries Copyright Links
Stanford University Libraries Copyright & Fair Use Overview

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U.S. Copyright Basics

Copyright law is complex and subject to change; anyone needing legal advice about copyright should consult an attorney. The text of the law is at 17 USC 101 and following (United States Code, Cornell Legal Information Institute). Here are some important things to know about copyright:

Copyright is authorized by U.S. Constitution, Article 1, section 8, which gives Congress the power to make laws
"to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."
Copyright is a group of rights granted to the creator of a poem, a novel, a song, a photograph, a movie, a computer program or any other written or recorded work.
17 USC 102
A work does not need to be published to be protected by copyright.
17 USC 104
Fair use allows limited copying of materials for teaching and research.
17 USC 107
Copyright lasts for a specified period of time, depending upon when the work was created. Eventually, all works pass into the public domain.
17 USC 301-305

What isn't covered by copyright

Titles, names, phrases, facts, recipes, lists, ideas and concepts.
US Copyright Office Circular 34 (regarding 17 USC 102)
United States government works.
17 USC 105
Other works in the public domain.
17 USC 301-305