Information available from the U.S. Copyright Office
Washington, D.C 20559


The U.S. Copyright Office provides various circulars with information about copyright within the United States. Note that the laws of other nations govern the status of copyright protection of works within their boundaries; a work may be protected abroad even though its copyright has expired in the United States. Extraterritorial uses of copyrighted works are governed by laws other than United States law.

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Unpublished works created before January 1, 1978 may be protected by copyright law until the year 2002.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)


Researchers who want an item checked for copyright are advised to make a search of the records of the U.S. Copyright Office themselves, hire someone qualified to do so for them, or pay the Copyright Office for a search. Further information is available in Circular 22, How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work, and from the Search Division of the U.S. Copyright Office (telephone 202-707-6850). As noted above, such searches cannot be considered conclusive but at least will show a good faith effort. The responsibility of determining whether to use an item or not rests with the patron.


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am 05-31-95