Tip: Click on each date to learn what changed from that legislation or ruling.
Copyright can be fascinating, confusing, and overwhelming, often all at the same time. Fortunately, it’s a topic that has been studied and documented to such a point that most of the gray areas have traveled away from the center. The resources below were gathered to assist in better understanding Copyright, reuse rights, and the rights of the intellectual property owner.
Filter, search, and sort to find the information that will best answer your questions. The title of the resource is the link to that resource.
If you’re looking for public domain and creative commons asset sources, including journals, images, video, audio, and text materials, visit Asset Sources.
| Title | About | Publisher | Category | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Circular 15A | Duration of Copyright | A breakdown of the length of copyright depending on when an item was published. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright Duration |
Copyright Slider | Interactive tool helps determine copyright status of an item first published in the United States based on the first date of publication and other critera. | American Library Association | Assessment Tools | Copyright (General) |
Circular 92 | Nuts and bolts of copyright scope, this is a primary source. This chapter contains information on compilations, derivative works, national origin, restored works, government works, exclusive rights, fair use, reproduction by libraries, performances, recordings, computer programs, and more. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright Scope |
Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries & Archives | Information on the specific limitations and rights granted to libraries and archives regarding copyright. This resource is in layman’s terms and provides useful infographics for schools and public libraries. | International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions | Libraries & Archives | Copyright Exceptions |
Digital Image Rights Computator (DIRC) | Interactive tool to assess the intellectual property status of a specific image. | Visual Resources Association | Assessment Tools | Graphics |
Public Domain Sherpa | Web site that provides information on finding and using public domain material. This information is specific to the laws of the United States. | Public Domain Sherpa | Guides | Public Domain |
Copyright Genie | Helps determine copyright status and calculate the terms of protection of any item. Following the interactive assessment, the site delivers an electronic record with the assessment results. | American Library Association | Assessment Tools | Copyright (General) |
Know your Copy Rights | Copyright information specific for academic stakeholders and instructional librarians. This source contains insight on Fair Use, linking instead of copying, and displaying works in classrooms. | Association of Research Libraries | Academia | Fair Use |
Copyright Timeline | A list of significant dates in the history of copyright in America. | Association of Research Libraries | Laws | Copyright (General) |
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) | Database of Open Access resources and data for research and educational purposes. | Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition | Academia | Open Access |
Open Access Directory | Wiki with links and guidance on Open Access including educational materials, lists, and discussion forums. | Simmons University | Academia | Open Access |
Circular 92 | The full copy of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act including information on the WIPO Treaties Implementation. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | DMCA |
Circular 92 | Appendix A, the transitional and supplementary provisions to the Copyright Act of 1976, covers the sale of duplicate plates, and the establishment of the American Television and Radio Archives, among others. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright (General) |
Circular 92 | Information on the circumvention of copyright protection systems and the integrity of copyright management information. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright Technology |
Circular 92 | Limitation on what a person can do with audio files, sound recordings, and music videos. This was generated from the Uruguay Round Agreements Act in 1994. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Audio |
Circular 92 | An amendment borne from the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, this defines approved recordable digital formats and establishes copy protection technology | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Audio |
Circular 92 | Complete information on the length of copyright based on different criteria. See Circular 15A for a concise version of this Statute. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright Duration |
Circular 92 | Information on the ownership of the copyright and the transfer of that right to other individuals. | U.S. Copyright Office | Laws | Copyright Ownership |
Charts & Tools | A useful collection of external tools and sources collected by Stanford Libraries. | Stanford University Libraries | Assessment Tools | Copyright (General) |
Portal: United States Copyright Case Law | A wiki list of case law and court rulings that have resulted in further definition of copyright. Included in the list are the important finding from each case. | WikiSource | Laws | Copyright (General) |
Fair Use Checklist | A general guide to the benefits and four factors of Fair Use, along with a pdf checklist. | Columbia University Libraries | Assessment Tools | Fair Use |
Copyright Checkpoint | An interactive Q&A tool to help assess the copyright of visual resources. | Artstor | Assessment Tools | Graphics |
Copyright Crash Course | A comprehensive guide. Learning modules cover finding IP owner, fair use, TEACH Act, and downloadable forms. | University of Texas Libraries | Guides | Copyright (General) |
Copyright Duration Diagram | An easy to follow flowchart to determine if an object is in copyright. | Public Domain Sherpa | Assessment Tools | Copyright (General) |
Exception for Instructors in the U.S. Copyright Law | Interactive tool that returns a recommendation on whether or not your use-case supports a fair use or TEACH Act | American Library Association | Assessment Tools | Copyright Exceptions |
CopyTalk Webinars | An archive of webinars on specific copyright topics that include fair use, creative commons, digital rights, and the public domain. | American Library Association | Guides | Copyright (General) |
The Online Books Page | A quick and easy FAQ that guides the user on considerations of whether a book can be posted online and includes information on how to find a copyright owner and determine whether a work is in the public domain. This document also contains information on international copyright laws. | University of Pennsylvania Libraries | Guides | Printed Material |
Center for the Study of the Public Domain | A collection of public domain sources, information, and articles about fostering a culture of intellectual freedom. | Duke University | Guides | Public Domain |
Public Domain Review | Journal highlighting works in the public domain. | Public Domain Review | Article/Journal | Public Domain |
Chapter One: Creators, by Lawrence Lessig | Mr. Lessig discusses copyright issues around the Disney empire and the idea around free culture and intellectual property. | Authorama | Article/Journal | Public Domain |
Principles and Practices for Licensing Electronic Resources | Geared for library procurement, this is an easy to read list of best practices. Sections include licensing preparedness, license components, authorized use, copyright, archiving, usage tracking, termination/renewal, and dispute resolution. Also included is a checklist for licensing, a list of resources for licensing terms and sample agreements, and a list of relevant articles. | American Association of Law Libraries | Guides | Licensing |
Challenges to Licensing from Some Publishers | Information on the licensed content providers engaged with the UC system, including a breakdown of the status on past and current licensing challenges. Included on this site is a licensing toolkit with a checklist, letter of intent, and technical guidelines. | California Digital Library | Guides | Licensing |
Copyright Catalog | Search copyright information on works from 1978 to present. | U.S. Copyright Office | Assessment Tools | Copyright (General) |
Copyright Research | Publication from the Copyright and Fair Use Center at Stanford on how to track down a copyright owner. | Stanford University Libraries | Guides | Copyright (General) |
Best Practices for Locating Copyright Owners of Photographic and Visual Art | Excellent guide if a user is looking for an image’s copyright owner. The page includes a number of useful links to databases that assist in the search. | American Society of Picture Professionals | Guides | Graphics |
MPA Copyright Search | A guide for locating the publisher of a piece of music. The page includes links to external databases. | Music Publishers Association of the United States | Guides | Music |
The Campus Guide to Copyright Compliance | A guide to help academic institutions answer copyright questions relevant to their use-case. The guide also includes a quiz to test your copyright knowledge. | Copyright Clearance Center | Libraries & Archives | Copyright (General) |
Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use of Collections Containing Orphan Works for Libraries, Archives, and other Memory Institutions | A guide for repositories on applying fair use in collections with orphan works. | Center for Media and Social Impact | Libraries & Archives | Orphan Works |
Victory for Users: Librarian of Congress Renews and Expands Protections for Fair Uses | A breakdown of the significant changes to DMCA among the 2015 exceptions. | Electronic Frontier Foundation | Article/Journal | DMCA |
Good News on DMCA Exemptions from the Copyright Office | A synopsis of the changes to DMCA among the 2018 rulings. | Center for Media and Social Impact | Article/Journal | DMCA |
Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video | A guide to help online video creators navigate fair use. | Center for Media and Social Impact | Guides | Film |
Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use | Defines what documentary filmmakers consider the reasonable application of fair use, and clearly defines the doctrine to filmmakers can use it with confidence. | Center for Media and Social Impact | Guides | Film |
Copyright for Music Librarians | A Q&A style source with information on music copyright. The site contains a disclaimer that some information might be out of date. | Music Library Association | Guides | Music |
Music Copyright Infringement Resource | Information about music copyright infringement cases from the mid-nineteenth century through today, from the United States as well as foreign jurisdictions. | George Washington University Law Library | Laws | Music |
Orphan Works Due Diligence Worksheet | A spreadsheet template to use when documenting due diligence work to identify the owner of an orphan work. (launches Google Doc) | Assessment Tools | Orphan Works | |
Selection Procedures for Digitisation | Points to consider when selecting materials for a digitization project. | JISC Digital Media | Libraries & Archives | Digitization |
Deciding to Digitise | Pre-digitization considerations that should be weighed by resource management staff considering digitization of a collection. | JISC Digital Media | Libraries & Archives | Digitization |
Intellectual Property Considerations | Archived article with overview of Intellectual Property Rights, a description of different license types, and a series of links to OER Resources. | JISC Digital Media | Guides | Open Access |
SHERPA/RoMEO | A searchable database of scholarly publication journals’ copyright policies and self-archiving rules. | Academia | Publications | |
Scholar’s Copyright Addendum Engine | An interactive utility that will allow you to generate a PDF form that you can attach to a journal publication’s copyright agreement so make sure you retain your desired rights. | Creative Commons | Academia | Creative Commons |
Creative Commons Licenses | An overview of the Creative Commons license options and what each of those options mean for republishing rights and rights retention. | Creative Commons | Guides | Creative Commons |
Open Access Overview | Overview of the rights retention and reuse allowed on items published under Open Access, with a focus on peer-reviewed research articles. | Suber, Peter | Academia | Open Access |
Open Access Explained! | Animated video that explains the concept of Open Access and the benefits to society Open Access allows. | Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD) | Academia | Open Access |
Fair Use | Chapter 3 of From The Librarian’s Guide to Intellectual Property in the Digital Age: Copyrights, Patents, and Trademarks by Timothy Lee Wherry. Copyright 2002 by the American Library Association. | American Library Association | Guides | Fair Use |