Requirements for United States 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
Purpose of Copyright Law
The Congress shall have Power…To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Tımes to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.
- United States Constitution, Article i, Section 8
What does copyright cover?
US Copyright Law provides a bundle of rights for creators of original works. These rights are:
- the right to reproduce the copyrighted work;
- the right to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work;
- the right to distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
- the right to publicly perform the work;
- the right to publicly display the work;
- for sound recordings, the right to publicly perform the work through an audio transmission.
Further Reading
- Copyright Law of the United StatesThis publication contains the text of title 17 of the United States Code, including all amendments enacted by Congress through June 30, 2016.
- Copyright BasicsThe Copyright Society of the USA (CSUSA) provides a guide with answers to many frequently asked questions.
- US Code Title 17 - CopyrightsEntirety of the text of the US Code Title 17 made available by the Legal Information Institute.
- Copyright Law Mind MapThis interactive "mind map," developed by Harvard Prof. William Fisher, summarizes the principal rules that constitute copyright law in the United States.
- Vanderbilt University Office of General CounselThe Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice to all Vanderbilt University departments, including inquiries regarding intellectual property.
- Library Copyright AllianceThe LCA’s mission is to foster global access to and fair use of information for creativity, research, and education.
- Copyright FAQ'sA collection of the frequently asked copyright questions and answers.
