Copyright and Fair Use: Resources

General information on what is and is not protected by copyright, how to search for copyright records, updates on legal aspects of copyright issues

"Manages rights relating to over 1.75 million works and represents more than 9,600 publishers and hundreds of thousands of authors and other creators, directly or through their representatives."

Copyright registration information for online works.

Circular 22: How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work

Contains links to government circulars and Factsheets which provide basic information about registration and other aspects of the copyright process.

Part I of this document provides a primer on copyright law. Part II addresses specific issues that may be relevant to development of an institutional copyright policy.This document has been prepared by the Association of American Publishers, the Association of American Universities, the Association of American University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries; and has been endorsed by the American Council on Education and the Authors Guild.

From Duke University.

Focusing on independent, documentary, entertainment, and public media, the Center bridges boundaries between scholars, producers and communication practitioners across media production, media impact and effects, public policy and audience engagement.

"The Copyright Alliance believes that copyright law promotes creativity and job creation and strengthens the U.S. economy. Those who create, render, and publish copyrighted works rely on the copyright law and its enforcement, for their creative and financial success. Without it, these creators would likely cease to exist, or at the very least, cease to produce these important works that are enjoyed by billions of people around the world."

Brief, selective "travel guide" to books on copyright, representing both sides of the argument. From the Chronicle of Higher Education

"Critical Commons is a non-profit advocacy coalition that supports the use of media for scholarship, reasearch and teaching, providing resources, information and tools for scholars, students, educators and creators." Includes "an online tool for viewing, tagging, sharing, annotating and curating media within the guidelines established by a given community."

Nolo Press is a large publisher of "plain english legal information."

The Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center has a website with a blog listing significant new fair use cases, called the Fairly Used Blog. It also links to other blogs on the subject.

Blog created by a law professor, Peter Friedman. He stopped adding new entries in April 2008, but it's interesting to look through the archived posts.

From the Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University: addresses the relationship between copyright law and the work of the university community. Clear and comprehensive site; includes Fair Use Checklist and useful scenarios and court case summaries.

Award-winning, comprehensive copyright/fair use information resource, containing charts and tools, including Stanford's Copyright Renewal Database, as well as charts and tools to guide you through Fair Use and Coursepack copyright permissions.

Includes a Crash Course Tutorial, designed for faculty to use to learn Copyright basics.

Contains the freely-accessible WATCH File (Writers, Artists and their Copyright Holders), which gives searchers information on contact persons for copyright holders for U.S. and U.K. authors and artists.