Copyright
From QED
For information about QED policies regarding copyright, see Terms of Use.
Contents |
Rules of thumb
Works created in the U.S.
- Works published before 1923 are in the public domain.
- Works published in the U.S. before 1978 that have no © notice are in the public domain.
- Unpublished works are under federal copyright for at least the life of the author plus 70 years.
- Works created over 120 years ago in the U.S. are in the public domain.
- Works created by an agency of the United States government are in the public domain at the moment of creation.
Fair Use
Factors favoring "fair use" include:
- Purpose
- Nonprofit Educational Institution
- Research, scholarship, teaching
- Nature
- Published work
- Factual or nonfiction based
- Importance for favored educational objectives
- Amount
- Small quantity
- Non-centrality of portion used
- Effect
- User already owns a copy of original work
- No significant (negative) effect on market or potential market for the work
- Lack of licensing mechanism
Berne Convention
The Berne Convention, amongst other things, stipulates that all works, except for photographic and cinematographic works, are protected for at least 50 years after the author's death. In 1993, this was extended throughout the European Union to 70 years.
The U.S. became a party to the Berne Convention on March 1, 1989.
External links
- University of California Guidelines
- WHEN U.S. WORKS PASS INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
- Digitization Projects: Does Your Library Have the Rights and Permissions It Needs?
- Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp.
- "10 Big Myths about copyright explained"
