Copyright Resources Online
Compiled by the AAUP Copyright Committee
The following resources explore questions that we in the AAUP community
are frequently presented with, from the basics of copyright law to contractual
issues, fair use and permissions, and rights and licensing. This material
is being provided for your information, but AAUP is not endorsing the
content of any of the sites, nor is any of this information a substitute
for qualified legal advice.
If you would like to suggest additional resources, please send information
to:
Daphne Ireland, Princeton University Press, AAUP Copyright Committee Chair
Daphne_Ireland@pupress.princeton.edu
BASIC COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
U.S. Copyright Office
U.S. government site providing information on U.S. copyright law, copyright
registration, searching records, law and policy, FAQ, and links to other
sites.
http://www.copyright.gov
Public Domain Chart
Essential tool for calculating when U.S. works pass into the public domain.
http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
Copyright Renewal Databases
"It was published after 1923... but I don't know if copyright was
renewed. Is it public domain??" Now you can easily search copyright
renewal records for Class A (Text) works published between 1923 and 1963
at a new database unveiled by Stanford University.
http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/bin/page?forward=home
Another copyright renewal search tool is available through the Rutgers University School of
Communication, Information, and Library Studies.
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~lesk/copyrenew.html
The UPenn libraries offer information about, and scanned pages from selected periods, the Catalog of Copyright Entries.
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/cce/
Additional transcriptions of the1923-1963 US Catalog of Copyright Entries (Renewals) are available from a UK web site:
http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/ccer/ccer.htm
Kingkong also offers the"New General Catalog
of Old Books and Authors" a growing database of the dates of book publication and authors' deaths (as many non-US copyrights are based on life+x years).
http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/ngcoba/ngcoba.htm
ON-LINE COPYRIGHT TUTORIALS
University of Texas
Basic tutorial with sections on ownership, fair use, permission, and a
twelve-question test at the end.
http://www.lib.utsystem.edu/copyright/
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
A more advanced, in-depth presentation, including definitions, concepts,
and recent developments such as TEACH Act and DMCA. This is a Powerpoint
companion to The New and Updated Copyright Primer published in book form
by AAP (2003).
http://www.publishers.org/press/pdf/RPAC%20powerpoints%201.pdf
COPYRIGHT WEBSITES AND ARTICLES
AAP Copyright Resources
General resources including Imprints List, Permission Dept.
contact names, best practices in processing permissions, etc.
http://www.publishers.org/about/copyrightresources.cfm
Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
Permission agency online site. Their copyright resources section includes
compliance guidelines, articles on rights management, and links to many
useful sites including other intellectual property associations and licensing
organizations.
http://www.copyright.com
GigaLaw
Legal news and articles on all areas of law with a focus on internet issues.
Sections on contracts, copyright law, intellectual property, domain names,
and other topics that provide a broader context.
http://www.gigalaw.com
Lloyd Rich (law firm)
Attorney Lloyd Rich’s website featuring monthly newsletters devoted
to publishing law issues. Articles from previous newsletters are archived
by topics. Excellent resource for discussion of publishing contracts.
Other topics include electronic rights, fair use and right of publicity,
copyright and trademarks, and internet law.
http://www.publaw.com
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY—COPYRIGHT, TRADEMARK, PATENT (General)
Oppedahl & Larson LLP (law firm)
One law firm’s website containing general discussions about copyright,
trademark and patents, and other intellectual property
http://www.patents.com
FindLaw—Legal News and Commentary
Excellent resource and search tool for legal news and cases. Click on
Search FindLaw tab at top or Intellectual Property under the For Business
section and search by keyword.
http://www.findlaw.com
LOCATING AUTHORS AND/OR THEIR ESTATES
WATCH File (Writers, Artists, and Their Copyright Holders)
Database of copyright holders whose archives are located in libraries
and archives in North America and the United Kingdom.
http://tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/
Author's Registry
Resource for locating hard-to-find authors for permissions requests. Searchable
by email inquiry.
http://www.authorsregistry.org
VISUAL MATERIAL
Bridgeman v. Corel
Are photographs of public domain materials copyrightable? Bridgeman v.
Corel is a landmark case establishing only thin copyright in slavish reproductions.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/36_FSupp2d_191.htm
Using Film Stills in Scholarly Works
Society for Cinema Studies position paper considering the use of film
stills in scholarly works as fair use.
http://www.cmstudies.org/CJdocs/Thompson2.htm
See also the AAUP statement: Copyright and the Costs of Scholarly Publishing |
