By Liz Kudwa
Q: Are there any materials at the library that can help me to better understand what copyright is and how it might apply to my use of copied materials?
A: Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.
The copyright protects the form of expression rather than the subject matter of the writing. For example, a description of a machine could be copyrighted, but this would only prevent others from copying the description; it would not prevent others from writing a description of their own or from making and using the machine. Copyrights are registered by the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress.
Here are some resources for learning more about copyright:
Books at the Capital Area District Library
o The Copyright Handbook: How To Protect & Use Written Works by Stephen Fishman
o Getting Permission: How To License & Clear Copyrighted Materials Online & Off by Richard Stim
Website
www.copyright.gov
The Library of Congress’ copyright website. Includes basic information about copyright, the ability to electronically register your work plus related fees, searchable catalog of 20 million works registered with the Copyright office since 1978, and links to the U.S. Copyright Law.
Elizabeth Kudwa is the Head Librarian at the Leslie Library,
201 Pennsylvania Street, Leslie, MI. Contact her at 517-589-9400 or by e-mail at
kudwae@cadl.org.
