Copyright Law

Resources on Copyright Law

1. The Statute
   1. Copyright Law of the United States of America Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code
   2. 17 U.S.C. § 107 (Fair Use), with Historical and Revision Notes, ncluding Guidelines for (i) Classroom Copying in Not-for-profit Educational Institutions with Respect to Books and Periodicals and (ii) Guidelines for Educational Uses of Music.
   3. 17 U.S.C. §108 (Special Rules for Libraries and Archives), with Historical and Revision Notes.
2. Guidance for Washington University Faculty regarding Reproducing Copyrighted Works for Use in Teaching and Research
3. U.S. Copyright Office Publications
   
   1. Questions Frequently Asked in the Copyright Office Public Information Section
   2. Circular 1: Copyright Basics
   3. Circular 21: Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians
4. In 1994, the Conference on Fair Use (CONFU), brought together representatives of copyright owners and users to discuss fair use issues and attempt to develop additional "safe harbors" for fair uses of copyrighted works by librarians and educators. Most of CONFU's draft guidelines did not acheive the consensus necessary for formal adoption, but they are instructive. Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia were adopted. These and the various proposed guidelines appear in reports to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
   
   • Status of CONFU guidelines
   • Uniform Preamble for Fair Use Guidelines
   • Proposed Educational Fair Use Guidelines for Digital Images
   • Proposed Educational Fair Use Guidelines for Distance Learning
   • Proposed Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia
   • Fair-Use Guidelines For Electronic Reserve Systems
   • Statement on Use of Copyrighted Computer Programs Software) in libraries
5. Other resources
   
   1. Fair-Use Guidelines For Electronic Reserve Systems 10 Big Myths about copyright explained
   2. Fair-Use Guidelines For Electronic Reserve Systems Copyright Term(based on years of creation and publication)
   3. Association of Research Libraries, Fair-Use Guidelines For Electronic Reserve Systems "Fair Use in the Electronic Age: Serving the Public Interest"
   4. Fair-Use Guidelines For Electronic Reserve Systems ALA and Division Standards & Guidelines American Library Association Model Policy on Library Reserves
6. Help with Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Materials
   
   1. Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.
   2. Association of American Publishers' Rights and Permissions Advisory Committee
   3. Sample Request Letter

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