Frequently Asked Questions About Copyright

This is a series of six articles that contains frequently asked questions (FAQ) with answers relating to copyright law, particularly that of the United States.

Disclaimer -- please read

This document is provided "as is" without any warranty, express or implied, including no warranty of merchantability or of fitness for a particular purpose. Use at your own risk. While all information in this article is believed to be correct at the time of writing, this article is for educational purposes only and does not purport to provide legal advice. If you require legal advice, you should consult with a legal practitioner licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.

The views expressed, the interpretations made, and the conclusions reached in this article are those of the author. Specifically, such views, interpretations and conclusions are not intended to reflect those held by any party or institution employing, associated with, or represented by the author.

References to the first person ("I," "me" and the like) generally refer to Terry Carroll, the author and maintainer of the Copyright FAQ, unless context suggests otherwise.

If you have any additions, corrections, or suggestions for improvement to this FAQ, please send them to copyright-faq@tjc.com.

Contents

• Part 1 - Introduction
• Part 2 - Copyright Basics
  • 2.1 What is a copyright?
  • 2.2) What is "public domain?"
  • 2.3) I just wrote a great program/novel/song/whatever. How can I get a copyright on it?
  • 2.4) How long does a copyright last? Does it need to be renewed?
  • 2.5) What advantages are there to registering my work with the Copyright Office?
  • 2.6) How can I register a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office?
  • 2.7) What advantages are there to including a copyright notice on my work?
  • 2.8) Can I ever use a copyrighted work without permission of the copyright holder, or "What is fair use?"
  • 2.9) Fair use - the legal basis of the doctrine.
• Part 3 - Common miscellaneous questions
  • 3.1) Who owns the copyright to something I wrote at work, me or my company?
  • 3.2) Is copyright infringement a crime, or a civil matter?
  • 3.3) What is the statute of limitations for copyright infringement?
  • 3.4) Can the government be sued for copyright infringement?
  • 3.5) Can the government copyright its works?
  • 3.6) Can the government copyright its laws?
  • 3.7) Can I legally make a cassette copy of a musical CD for my own use, so I can play it in my car? What about MP3s?
  • 3.8) Are Usenet postings and email messages copyrighted?
  • 3.9) Are fonts copyrighted?
  • 3.10) What does "All Rights Reserved" mean?
  • 3.11) What's the difference between a copyright and a patent?
  • 3.12) Why is there so little in this FAQ about patents?
• Part 4 - International aspects
  • 4.1) What international treaties exist governing copyright, or "What is this Berne Convention I keep hearing about?"
  • 4.2) Is Freedonia a signatory to either the Berne Convention or to the Universal Copyright Convention?
• Part 5 - Further Copyright Resources
  • 5.1) Where can I get more information on copyright?
  • 5.2) What materials related to copyright are available on the Internet?
• Part 6 - Appendix: A note about legal citation form, or, "What's all this '17 U.S.C. 107' and '977 F.2d 1510' stuff?"