HART2805: Introduction to Museum Studies: Copyright

Copyright in the United States protects "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression." Works covered by copyright include literary works; musical works, including any accompanying words; dramatic works, including any accompanying music; pantomimes and choreographic works; pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; sound recordings; and architectural works. 

Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, or processes.

US Copyright Law no longer requires authors to register their copyright in order to be protected. The moment an original work is created in a fixed, tangible format, the work is protected for the life of the author plus 70 years. 

17 U.S. Code § 102 - Subject matter of copyright: In general. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2019, from LII / Legal Information Institute website: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/102