Basic Copyright Law

United States copyright laws are managed by the US Copyright Office.  Below are resources related to basic copyright law.  For self help resources related to specific industries, such as music copyright law, please see the industry specific page on the left tool bar.

Overviews of Copyright Law

• Circular 1: Copyright Basics by The United States Copyright Office. 
  This is an essential review of copyright issues written in layman's terms (or, at least, pretty close).  This will answer your "how do I copyright my work" question and many others.
• 10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained by Brad Templeton. 
• (FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions by The United States Copyright Office. 
• Circular 3 - Copyright Notice by US Copyright Office. 
• Copyright in Visual Arts by Thomas G. Field, Jr.
• Are You A Copyright Criminal by Dave Zielinski.

Work For Hire

• Work for Hire Agreements by Lloyd J. Jassin.
  Tips for publishers and producers on how to avoid copyright disputes. This article answers the question, "Who owns the copyright?"

• Circular 9 - Work-Made-For-Hire Under the 1976 Copyright Act (PDF only) by US Copyright Office. 

Fair Use

• Fair Use (PDF only) by US Copyright Office.
• New Cases Address the Scope of the Fair-Use Doctrine on the Internet by Mitchell Zimmerman.  Summer 2000.
• NWU Guide to Fair Use from The National Writers Union.

What Isn't Copyrightable

• Circular 31 - Ideas, Methods, or Systems (PDF only) by US Copyright Office. 
• Circular 32 - Blanks Forms and Other Works Not Protected by Copyright (PDF only) by US Copyright Office. 
• Circular 33 - Computing and Measuring Devices (PDF only) by US Copyright Office. 
• Circular 34 - Names, Titles, Short Phrases not Copyrightable by US Copyright Office. 
• Protection of Literary Titles by Lloyd L. Rich.  1998.

How to File For Copyright Registration: Basics

• Circular 1c - Make Sure Your Application Will Be Acceptable by US Copyright Office. 

Basic Self Help Copyright Law Books

• How to Register Your Own Copyright : With Forms (How to Register Your Own Copyright, 3rd Edition)
  by Mark Warda (Paperback - May 2000)
• The Copyright Book : A Practical Guide (Copyright Book : A Practical Guide, 5th Ed)
  by William S. Strong (Hardcover - July 1999)
• The Copyright Guide: A Friendly Guide to Protecting and Profiting from Copyrights, revised edition
  by Lee Wilson (Paperback - September 2000)
• 101 Questions About Copyright Law
  by Andrew Alpern (Paperback - January 1999)
• Copyright Law
  by Richard Stim (Paperback - September 1999)
• Copyright Plain & Simple
  by Cheryl Besenjak (Paperback - December 2000)
• Patent, Copyright & Trademark (Patent, Copyright & Trademark, 4th Ed)
  by Stephen Elias, et al (Paperback - January 2001)
• The Illustrated Story of Copyright
  by Edward Samuels (Hardcover - December 2000)
• The Copyright Handbook : How to Protect & Use Written Works (5th Ed)
  by Stephen Fishman (Paperback - March 2000)
• Intellectual Property, Patents, Trademarks and Copyright in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series)
  by Miller, et al (Paperback - October 2000)