Two General Principles
+ Mere ownership of a book, manuscript,
painting, or any other copy or
phonorecord does not give
the possessor the copyright. The law
provides that transfer of
ownership of any material object that
embodies a protected work
does not of itself convey any rights in
the copyright.
+ Minors may claim copyright, but state
laws may regulate the business
dealings involving copyrights
owned by minors. For information on
relevant state laws, consult
an attorney.
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----------------- Copyright and national origin of the work
Copyright protection is available for all unpublished works, regardless of the nationality or domicile of the author. Published works are eligible for copyright protection in the United States if any one of the following conditions is met:
+ On the date of first publication, one
or more of the authors is a
national or domiciliary of
the United States, or is a national,
domiciliary, or sovereign
authority of a treaty party,* or is a
stateless person wherever
that person may be domiciled; or A treaty
party is a country or intergovernmental
organization other than the
United States that is a party
to an international agreement.
+ The work is first published in the United
States or in a foreign
nation that, on the date of
first publication, is a treaty party.
For purposes of this condition,
a work that is published in the
United States or a treaty
party within 30 days after publication in
a foreign nation that is not
a treaty party shall be considered to
be first published in the
United States or such treaty party, as the
case may be; or
+ The work is a sound recording that was
first fixed in a treaty
party; or
+ The work is a pictorial, graphic, or
sculptural work that is
incorporated in a building
or other structure, or an architectural
work that is embodied in a
building and the building or structure is
located in the United States
or a treaty party; or
+ The work is first published by the United
Nations or any of its
specialized agencies, or by
the Organization of American States; or
+ The work is a foreign work that was
in the public domain in the
United States prior to 1996
and its copyright was restored under the
Uruguay Round Agreements Act
(URAA). Request “Highlights of
Copyright Amendments Contained
in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act
(URAA-gatt), [http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ38b.pdf],
for
further information.
+ The work comes within the scope of a Presidential proclamation.
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What works are protected?