Copyright and Fair Use

Title 17 of the United States Code of the Copyright Law is the legal protection that provides authors of original creative works limited control over the reproduction and distribution of their work. Under the current law, copyright protection is automatic and begins the moment any “original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium of expression." 

The Copyright Act gives copyright holders a set of exclusive rights to

• Reproduce their work, in whole or in part
• Distribute copies of their work;
• Publicly perform their work
• Publicly display their work
• Prepare derivative works based on the original, such as translations or adaptations

These exclusive rights, however, are subject to exceptions and limitations, such as fair use, which allow limited uses of copyrighted works without the permission of the copyright holder.  Please visit the other sections of this Guide to learn more about fair use and other copyright issues.

Not all works are eligible for copyright. Certain restrictions apply. Below is a quick guide on copyrightable works, but for more information, see Copyright Basics & Works Not Protected by Copyright from U.S. Copyright Office.

Portions of this guide were taken in whole, or part, with permission from the Springshare Community Copyright and Fair Use Guides: Fordham Universities: Copyright Resources,  Agnes Scott: Copyright and Fair Use, NYU: Copyright, GSU Copyright Overview, and University of Florida.