Best bet
U.S. Copyright Office
The best website for copyright information. It includes FAQs, links to legislation (current and proposed), regulations, information on how to for a copyright, international copyright sites, information about searching for copyrighted material, fees, and much more. To get started, see Copyright basics.
Federal laws
The Copyright & Patent Clause, Art. I, s.8, cl.8 of the U.S. Constitution
Empowers the U.S. Congress "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 Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020
Establishing the Copyright Claims Board to resolve copyright disputes involving claims seeking damages of up to $30,000 and is designed to be less expensive and faster than bringing a case in a federal court.
17 U.S. Code
U.S. copyright laws and related transitional and related statutory and international provisions.
Major public laws incorporated in the U.S. Code Title 17:
Federal regulations
37 CFR Parts 201-270 (Copyright regulations)
Also known as Circular 96, they are published in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Treaties and other international agreements of which the United States is a party
International issues: treaties, U.S. Copyright Office
The Office of Policy and International Affairs lists the international copyright treaties.
Forms
Information circulars and factsheets from the U.S. Copyright Office.
Web sources
Copyright in general
- Copyright Claims Board
The Copyright Claims Board is available to resolve copyright disputes of a relatively low economic value as an efficient, less expensive alternative to federal court by a virtual hearing by three experienced attorneys. - Copyright Clearance Center
Serving the interests of those who supply content, the CCC is a global rights broker for in- and out-of-print materials. It facilitates getting permission, licensing your own content, registering copyright, etc. - Copyright law in the United States, Bitlaw.
This website has clear summaries of the various elements of copyright law in the U.S. - Copyright renewal database, Stanford University.
This database makes searchable the copyright renewal records received by the U.S. Copyright Office between 1950 and 1992 for books published in the U.S. between 1923 and 1963. Note that the database includes only U.S. Class A (book) renewals. - Copyright term and public domain, Cornell University.
This chart shows the lifespan of copyright protection by type of work. - Copyright timeline, Association of Research Libraries (ARL).
A history of copyright in the United States, this comprehensive timeline begins with the 18th century and includes references to major changes in copyright law made by Congress, the courts, and other organizations. - Lumen, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.
"The Lumen database collects and analyzes legal complaints and requests for removal of online materials, helping Internet users to know their rights and understand the law. These data enable us to study the prevalence of legal threats and let Internet users see the source of content removals." See also Copyright subtopics. - Search copyright records, U.S. Copyright Office.
Search online for works registered and documents recorded by the U.S. Copyright Office since January 1, 1978. Includes tips on how to find records of works registered prior to January 1, 1978. - What are the copyright implications of NFTs?, Reuters, October 29, 2021.
Artificial intelligence
- Copyright and artificial intelligence, U.S. Copyright Office.
Copyright guidance on artificial intelligence including the Zarya of the Dawn registration decision. - Thaler v. Perlmutter, U.S. District Court, DC, August 18, 2023. Appeal filed Oct. 11, 2023.
AI generated art created without human guidance cannot be copyrighted. - U.S. Patent Office guidance, including:
- Why The New York Times might win its copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, by Timothy B. Lee and James Grimmelmann.
Covers the history of copyright in the digital world and provides reasonings for each possible outcome of the lawsuit New York Times Company v. Microsoft Corporation, OpenAI, Inc., et al.
Fair use
- Fair use, Columbia University Libraries/Information Services Copyright Advisory Office.
A helpful tool (with a link to the Fair use checklist) used to determine whether actions are within the limits of fair use under U.S. copyright law (17 USC s.107). - Why Is parody considered fair use but satire isn’t?, Copyright Alliance.
Explains Section 107 of the Copyright Act. Also, Four factors to consider.
Cases
- List of United States Supreme Court copyright case law
- Major copyright decisions, world-wide, Wikipedia.
Major world-wide copyright cases are listed by country and linked on this webpage. - Substantial similarity, University of Michigan Research Guide.
Illustrates the "substantial similarity" doctrine from U.S. copyright law, using a set of case summaries and includes a Glossary.
Print sources
The copyright handbook, Stephen Fishman, 15th ed., Nolo Press, 2024. (eBook available with library card).
Copyright law in a nutshell, by Mary LaFrance. West, 2022.
Fandom and the law : fan fiction, art, film, & cosplay, by Marc H. Greenberg, ABA, 2021.
Getting permission, Nolo Press, 2022. (eBook available with library card).
Intellectual property litigation, American Bar Association, quarterly, 2009- (eBook available at link with library card).
Intellectual property practice, chapter 7, MCLE, 2020.
Nimmer on copyright: A treatise on the law of literary, musical and artistic property, and the protection of ideas, by Melville B. Nimmer. M. Bender, 1978 - to date. (eBook available with library card).
Patent, copyright and trademark, Nolo Press, 2022. (2024 eBook available with library card).
Protecting and enforcing copyright, by Lisa M. Tittemore and Joel R. Leeman. MCLE, 2014.
The public domain, Nolo Press, 2020. (2023 eBook available with library card).
Contact for Massachusetts law about copyright
Online
| Last updated: | June 6, 2024 |
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