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Copyright Basics – What Everyone Needs to Know

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rishabh
Copyright Basics – What Everyone Needs to Know



Information is the key to success in many aspects. It has been the highway to advancements in medicine, technology, and business innovations, and also achievements in the arts plus education sectors. The price of all of the research plus the writing and editing of the documents involved has been and continues to be huge. These works, whether or not society has made them popular, are protected under copyright law.


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What is a copyright?

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright is a type of protection that was and is provided to artists and writers whether of literary, academic, musical, and dramatic works or otherwise. It is for both unpublished and published pieces no matter what nationality the creator is. It is illegal for anyone to violate these rights as given by this copyright law to the person owning the copyright.


When is there a copyright?

There is a copyright on any piece of work that is created of or from any genre whether it is a painting, book, or otherwise. This exists from the time that it has been made in a fixed fashion as the artist created it. Only the creator of the piece can have the rights as an author or artist and it is only this individual that has the right to sell ownership of the copyright.


Is registration required?

A person does not have to register a document or artistic piece in order for it to be protected under copyright law. However, registration of the item does make it more secure against the theft of an idea or piece. A person does not have to acquire permission to use the notice of copyright. In 1989 it was declared that an artist/writer could freely have the ownership of the copyright for any piece that they have created.

What are the symbols of copyright?

The symbol to mark something as being copyrighted is the ©. The terms of copyright depend on when the work was published. Anything created after 1978 is under this protection until 70 years after the death of the artist or author. Works that are published under an anonymous name or a pseudonymous name with the actual name still being unknown, the copyright stands until 95 years after the publication or 120 years from the creation – the period of time that is shorter is chosen. For works completed before January 1 of 1978, a person needs to contact the U.S. Copyright Office or file for a renewal of copyright.


What is the difference between a copyright and a public domain?

The copyright is placed on any work that is created but the public domain is the location or category in which the work has been published. There are four main groups that these public domains are usually categorized under generic information including ideas and numbers; works that have been created by the United States government; works that were created before March of 1989 and do not have proper notice of copyright; and the works that have expired copyrights. There have been some instances where works have been filed under the category of being a donation.


What is fair use?

Fair use is a concept that was created by the United States government to allow certain uses of copyrighted materials such as for educational purposes, parody, journalistic reporting, and research. It cannot be used in legal defense if being prosecuted for the illegal use of copyrighted pieces.


Is there a penalty for infringing on a copyright?

Depending on the country involved, there is usually a penalty for such actions. In the United States, these damages equal to penalties between $250 and $150,000 for each charge if it is determined that the act was committed willfully. There may be other penalties added if the person were to stand to gain from infringing on these copyrights.


Is there an international copyright law?

There is no international copyright law. However, there are 150 countries involved with the treaty to protect copyrighted works. Usually if there is a copyright for the piece in the United States then it is upheld in most other countries.


Are there exceptions made for the academic use of copyrighted materials?

There are various uses of the works that can pertain to academics. This includes using excepts for the illustrations of a point, commentaries, classroom materials, and making parodies. They can also be used for archiving, replacing damaged or obsolete copies, replacing damaged copies, and interlibrary loans. Schools can request that whole works are copied if they wish.


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