A copyright is a form of protection provided by federal law (Title 17 U.S.C.§101 et seq.). The protection is provided to the creators of original work.
Copyright protection is generally afforded to written works; musical works; dramatic works; choreographic works; pictorial, graphic and sculptural works; audiovisual works; sound recordings; architectural designs; and computer software programs. Protection is provided for both published and unpublished works (see http://copyright.govhelp/faq/faq-general.html#what ).
The “bundle of rights” provided to the copyright holder includes:
Several categories of works are generally not eligible for federal copyright protection. These include:
Generally, the person (or persons) who creates a work is the holder of the copyright to that work. There are some exceptions to this rule:
In terms of works submitted to periodicals or other collective works, copyright in each separate contribution to a periodical or other collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole and vests initially with the author of the contribution (see www.copyright.govcircs/circ01.pdf ).
Fair use under U.S. Copyright law permits a limited use of portions of copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright holder. The permissible uses include criticism, comment, teaching, scholarship, research, and news reporting. There are four basic factors which must be considered when determining whether an unauthorized use constitutes “fair use”:
No one factor determines whether a use is fair. All the factors must be considered and differing weight may be given to the various factors depending on the circumstances surrounding the unauthorized use (see Regulations | U.S. Copyright Office ).
If you have any questions regarding copyright, the protections it affords, or whether or not a use may fall under one of the educational “fair use” exceptions, contact the Office of General Counsel, Old Main 204, (307) 766-4997. For more information, see:
UW Regulation 9-1 (Intellectual Property)
United States Copyright Office
DISCLAIMER -- The Office of General Counsel does not intend the information on this site as a substitute for legal counsel and advice. It is intended solely as an informational resource. University personnel should contact the Office of General Counsel when matters of serious legal consequence are at issue