Intellectual Property Research: Copyrights

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. An original work of authorship is a work that is independently created by a human author and possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. A work is “fixed” when it is captured (either by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time. Copyright protection in the United States exists automatically from the moment the original work of authorship is fixed.

Circulars are published by the Copyright Office to provide up-to-date and authoritative information to a general audience.

An overview of copyright law from Cornell's Wex encyclopedia.

FAQ maintained by Drexel University Libraries on copyright, fair use, and library copyright policies.

Guide intended as an introduction to copyright for faculty, created by Georgia Harper and maintained by Colleen Lyon at UT Libraries.

Official site of the U.S. Copyright Office. It contains U.S. statutes, regulations and circulars explaining copyright issues.

The Copyright Claims Board is a three-member tribunal established by the CASE Act that hears "small claims" copyright disputes of up to $30,000.

The Copyright Royalty Board is comprised of three judges who determine and adjust royalty rates and terms applicable to statutory copyright licenses.

The Copyright Society of the USA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of copyright law in the United States.

Duke Law School site focused on public domain issues.

Stanford University libraries web site on copyright with a primary focus on copyright in an academic setting.

Blog on copyright issues by Duke University’s Office of Copyright & Scholarly Communications.

Collection of copyright resources from the American Association of Law Libraries. Although aimed at librarians, these resources may also be helpful for students and faculty.

A reference tool hosted by the American Library Association's Copyright Advisory Network, the Copyright Slider provides a quick reference for the copyright status of a work by its publication date.

Chart listing copyright terms by types of works, or date of publication.

Tool created by Michael Brewer & American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy to help evaluate fair use.

American Law Reports are a collection of articles that compile case law from different jurisdictions on a particular topic, so they are an excellent starting point to find on-point cases. They are also available on Lexis, but are easier to browse on Westlaw. Use the link above to search, or browse the index here.

A free index provided by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect case law on the fair use doctrine. The goal of the Index is to make the principles and application of fair use more accessible and understandable to the public by presenting a searchable database of court opinions, including by category and type of use (e.g., music, internet/digitization, parody).