What does copyright protect?

Under 17 USCS Section 102 the following is protected:

• Literature
• Music and lyrics
• Drama
• Pantomime and dance
• Pictures, graphics, sculpture
• Films
• Sound Recordings
• Architecture
• Software

"In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work."

Who owns the copyright?

• The author
• Those deriving rights through or from the author
  • This can include publishers, record labels, descendants of the author, etc.
• If the work is done as a work for hire, the employer of the author is the copyright holder
• If the work has more than one author, two or more authors can own copyright

-Derived from the Copyright Clearance Center's 2006 Copyright Education Series Foundations Workbook

How long does copyright last?

The United States has had several copyright codes in its history, so depending on when a work was created, it may or may not be protected by copyright. Check out the American Library Association's Digital Copyright Slider to see if what you want to use is in the public domain or covered by copyright.

© Digital Copyright Slider ©

• 17 USCS Section 102

  Code relevant to copyright protection

• 17 USCS Section 107

  Code relevant to fair use exceptions

• 17 USCS Section 108

  Code relevant to exceptions for libraries and archives

• 17 USCS Section 109

  Code relevant to first sale (the right to sell or loan a copyrighted item you have purchased)

• 17 USCS Sections 201-205

  Code relevant to copyright ownership and transfer

• 17 USCS Sections 301-305

  Code relevant to copyright duration