• What is copyright protection?
• How do I know who owns it?
• What are the examples of copyright protected materials?
• How long is the copyright protection good for?
• What is "fair use" exclusion?

 

What is copyright protection? (Back to Top)

It is the ownership rights to the “original works of authorship.” The rights include:

Reproduction

Derivative works

Distribution

Public performance

Public display

How do I know who owns it? (Back to Top)

The copyright protection in the U.S. is automatic, no registration is required. Typically you will see a notice such as: © followed by the Year of creation then followed by the name of the organization or individual.

What are the examples of copyright protected materials? (Back to Top)

Here are few examples:

Literary works

Dramatic works

Musical works

Artistic works

Computer software

Multimedia materials

others

How long is the copyright protection good for? (Back to Top)

The copyright protection term is the original author's life plus 20 years and for “work made-for-hire” it is 95 years from the date of the publication or 120 years from the date of the creation.

What is “Fair Use” exclusion? (Back to Top)

It is a very limited exclusion to copyrights for the purposes of critique, reporting, or education. Note that it is not a blanket exclusion of copyrights for educational purposes. There are specific requirements that must be met to trigger the fair use exclusion for educational purposes.