The following information about the duration of U.S. copyright, conducting copyright searches, and fair use in the United States context has been selected from Copyright Office circulars of particular interest:
Circular 1 - Copyright Basics
Published works copyrighted more than 75 years ago are now in the public domain. (Page 6)
Unpublished works created before January 1, 1978 may be protected by copyright law until the year 2002. (Page 6)
Works created after Jan. 1, 1978 are protected for the author/creator's life plus 50 years. (Page 6)
Works produced by the U.S. Government are not eligible for copyright. (Page 5)
Works made for hire may be protected by copyright by the employer, not the employee. (Page 2)
Works published before March 1, 1989 without a copyright notice risk loss of copyright protection. (Page 4)
'Publication' is the distribution of copies . . . to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies . . . to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution . . . constitutes publication. (Page 4)
Circular 21 - Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians
The fair use provision of the copyright law sometimes allows the making of copies for ". . . purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research." (Page 8)
Circular 22 - How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work
Copyright searches cannot be considered conclusive. (Page 5)
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am 05-31-95