Credible Information on Copyright Laws

Copyright law protects creative works such as sculpture.

Blogs, social networks, information feeds and newsletters make information more accessible than ever before. With so much data instantly available, it's sometimes hard to filter out the noise and find reliable information. However, you can easily find credible information on copyright laws from authoritative government and legal sources by looking in just a few places.

U.S. Copyright Office

The U.S. Copyright Office is one source of credible information on copyright laws. The Copyright Office is where writers, sculptors, musicians and artists register their copyrights. The U.S. Copyright Office's website contains factsheets, brochures and articles that contain helpful credible information (see Resource 1).

U.S. Code

Chapters 1 through 8 and 10 through 12 of Title 17 of the U.S. Code contain the statutory copyright law in the United States. These chapters explain details such as what can be copyrighted, what rights and limitations a copyright confers on a copyright holder and what role the Copyright Office plays in the process.

Court Opinions

Published court opinions that interpret copyright law are another source of credible information on copyright laws. When a copyright holder sues a copycat for infringement, a judge applies the copyright law in the U.S. Code to the facts of the case. In one famous opinion in a case filed by the publisher of a telephone directory, a judge found that another publisher had not violated copyright law by publishing a similar directory, because neither publisher created new information. These judicial opinions clarify and refine the statutory copyright law.

Copyright Attorneys

Intellectual property attorneys are another source of credible information on copyright laws. An attorney who specializes in copyright law stays current in her specialty through continuing education, research and alerts about cases involving copyright law issues.

The Basics for Students

On the Copyright Office website, you can even view a simplified, cartoon-style slide show especially designed for students called "How to Take the Mystery out of Copyright." It contains four components: "Copyright Exposed," "Files on Record," "Reading the Fine Print" and "Steps to Copyright" (see Reference 3).

References

• Copyright Office: Copyright Law of the United States
• Bitlaw: Feist Pub., Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 490 U.S. 340 (1991)
• U.S. Copyright Office: Taking the Mystery out of Copyright

Resources

• U.S. Copyright Office
• U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Law in the United States