The Copyright Law PL 94-553
The Constitution guarantees authors and inventors exclusive rights to their creations for a limited time. Laws that protect these rights are called intellectual property laws. One such law, the Copyright Law of 1976, or Public Law (PL) 94-553, markedly changed federal copyright law.
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Effective Date
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The Copyright Law of 1976 can be found in Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The law was proposed in 1976 and became effective on January 1, 1978.
Copyright Definition
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As an author or inventor, a copyright gives you the exclusive rights to reproduce or authorize others to reproduce copies of your intellectual property, including creations like written works, music, software, photographs and artwork. Copyrights are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
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Significance
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Copyright Law PL 94-553 allows copyrighted works to be used freely for purposes such as education. Copyright Law PL 94-553, Section 107 introduced the concept of Fair Use. This allows the use, including reproduction, of copyrighted works "for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship or research," according to the U.S. Copyright Office. In addition, the copyright term limit was increased to 50 years, plus royalties to widows and heirs for 19 years. The law also requires written permission for a transfer of ownership and says you must formally register for a copyright if you want to sue for infringement.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit music book. manuscript. music score image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com today image by alwayspp from Fotolia.com
