Basics
Disclaimer
Information on this website should not be construed as legal advice. Neither its creator nor Arcadia University are liable for any legal action that may result from its use.
Basics
Definition
The right of the producer of a work or a designee to control any copies or usage of that work.
Copyright is a right protected by federal statute.
The producer of a work may be an author of a book, article, or website. The individual may be an artist, a composer, a lyricist, a playwright. The producer may even be 2 or more people.
A designee may be another individual, an organization, a publisher.
Copies may be quotations, modifications (derivative work), duplications.
The work is any creation that has been established in a fixed form: a printing, a drawing, a digitization.
Read details about the definition of copyright at copyright.gov.
Protection
Copyright protection is automatic as soon as the producer of the work establishes a fixed form: i.e., when the producer puts a work to paper, saves it in a electronic file, pushes it out to the web, etc., that entity has copyright protection.
Use of the copyright symbol (©) is not a prerequisite. Registration is not a prerequisite. Publication is not a prerequisite.
Read details about copyright protection and the effect of publication at copyright.gov.
Registration
Registration is a benefit when the producer of a work wishes to enforce or protect her copyright. A producer of a work may register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office by submitting an application with the appropriate fee and approved copies of the work.
Read details about copyright registration at copyright.gov.
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT HOME
1 Basics
1.1 AU Policies
1.2 Citing
2 Fair Use
3 Resources
3.1 Primary Sources
3.2 Articles
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