Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17. U.S. Code) to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:
ΓÇó To reproduce the copyrighted work in
copies or phonorecords:
ΓÇó To prepare derivative works based upon
the copyrighted work;
ΓÇó To distribute copies or phonorecords of
the copyrighted work to the public by
sale or other transfer of ownership, or
by rental, Iease, or lending;
ΓÇó To perform the copyrighted work
publicly, in the case of literary,
musical, dramatic, and choreographic
works, pantomimes, and motion
pictures and other audiovisual works;
and
ΓÇó To display the copyrighted work
publicly, in the case of literary,
musical, dramatic, and choreographic
works, pantomimes, and pictorial,
graphic, or sculptural works, including
the individual images of a motion
picture or other audiovisual work.
It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the Act to the owner of copyright. These rights, however, are not unlimited in scope. Sections 107 through 118 of the Copyright Act establish limitations on these rights. In some cases, these limitations are specified exemptions from copyright liability. One major limitation is the doctrine of "fair use," which is given a statutory basis by section 107 of the Act. In other instances, the limitation takes the form of a "compulsory license" under which certain limited uses of copyrighted works are permitted upon payment of specified royalties and compliance with statutory conditions. For further information about the limitations of any of these rights, consult the Copyright Act or write to the Copyright Office.
