Copyright is a form of intellectual property governed by U.S. Constitutional
law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.
Copyright protection includes both published and unpublished works.
Copyright Protected:
A copyright is a property right in an original work of
authorship. Copyright protection exists from the moment a work is created in a
fixed, tangible form and is not dependent on a copyright symbol, registration,
or publication. Only the author, or those deriving their rights through the
author, can rightfully claim copyright under Title 17, U.S. Code.
Copyright allows authors the exclusive right to reproduce their work, prepare
derivative works, distribute copies, publicly perform or display the work.
Unauthorized use and reproduction is prohibited unless one or more limited
exemptions apply (See Fair Use Guidelines below).
A work created on or after January 1, 1978, is ordinarily
protected by copyright from the moment of its creation until 70 years after the
author's death. For works created, published, or registered before January 1,
1978, those works fall under public domain.
Public domain comprises all works that are either no longer
protected by copyright or never were. It should not be confused with the mere
fact that a work is publicly available (such as information in books or
periodicals, or content on the Internet). Essentially, all works first
published in the United States before 1923 are considered to be in the public
domain in the United States. The public domain also extends to works published
between 1923 and 1963 on which copyright registrations were not renewed.