Copyright Law

Site of the United States Copyright Office, a department of the Library of Congress, whose mission is to promote creativity by administering and sustaining an effective national copyright system.

"Circulars are published by the Copyright Office to provide up-to-date and authoritative information to a general audience. Circulars are arranged by topic and cover the basics and fundamental concepts of copyright law, highlights of policies and procedures of the Copyright Office, and registration issues for specific categories of works. For full details regarding the Office’s policies and procedures, refer to the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices."

"Under the Copyright Act, the Copyright Office is responsible for advising on certain questions of copyright law. The U.S. government frequently submits briefs in civil copyright litigation, including on behalf of the Copyright Office under section 411 of the Copyright Act. The Office also answers questions of law related to Copyright Royalty Board proceedings, and reviews decisions regarding registrability of works."

"The Copyright Office has launched an initiative to examine the copyright law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including the scope of copyright in works generated using AI tools and the use of copyrighted materials in AI training."

"The administrative manual of the Register of Copyrights concerning Title 17 of the United States Code and Chapter 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations. It provides instruction to agency staff regarding their statutory duties and provides expert guidance to copyright applicants, practitioners, scholars, the courts, and members of the general public regarding institutional practices and related principles of law."

"The goal of the Index is to make the principles and application of fair use more accessible and understandable to the public by presenting a searchable database of court opinions, including by category and type of use (e.g., music, internet/digitization, parody)."

Database of decisions "from April 2016 to present by the U.S. Copyright Office Review Board, which hears final administrative appeals of refusals of copyright registration. The decisions are searchable and include an index; new decisions will be added as they are issued. The decisions will be a valuable resource to those seeking a better understanding of how the Copyright Office assesses whether works satisfy the legal and formal requirements for copyright registration."

"The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020 established the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), a tribunal located in the Copyright Office and available as a voluntary alternative to federal court. The CCB is an efficient, streamlined way to resolve copyright disputes involving claims seeking damages of up to $30,000 and is designed to be less expensive and faster than bringing a case in a federal court. . . . Both claimants (those that file claims with the CCB) and respondents (those against whom a claim is brought) can decide whether or not to participate in CCB proceedings. No one is required to argue a dispute before the CCB; a party with a copyright claim can choose to go to federal court instead, and a respondent can opt out of a CCB proceeding. In addition, if a respondent chooses to opt out, the claimant can still bring a lawsuit against that respondent in federal court." For more information about the CCB, see "About the Copyright Claims Board."

"The Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act of 2004 (CRDRA) established the Copyright Royalty Judges program in the Library of Congress. The Copyright Royalty Judges (Judges) oversee the copyright law’s statutory licenses, which permit qualified parties to use multiple copyrighted works without obtaining separate licenses from each copyright owner. The Judges determine and adjust royalty rates and terms applicable to the statutory copyright licenses. They also oversee distribution of royalties deposited with the Copyright Office by certain statutory licensees and adjudicate controversies relating to the distributions."

The jurisdiction of the House Committee on the Judiciary includes the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patents, trademarks, and copyright.

The jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary includes the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patents, trademarks, and copyright. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property has jurisdiction over "(1) the United States Patent and Trademark Office; (2) the United States Copyright Office; (3) Oversight of the functions of the federal government as they relate to intellectual property; (4) Patents; (5) Copyrights; (6) Trademarks; and (7) Trade Secrets."

WIPO "is the global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation. We are a self-funding agency of the United Nations, with 193 member states. Our mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all."

Includes Copyright topics and issues; Copyright law and treaties; WIPO initiatives; and Making a living in the creative industries.

WIPO administers 26 intellectual property treaties, including the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works The Berne Convention, which "provides creators such as authors, musicians, poets, painters etc. with the means to control how their works are used, by whom, and on what terms."

WIPO Lex "provides free of charge access to legal information on intellectual property (IP) from around the world. The WIPO Lex Database is organized into three collections, consisting of IP laws and regulations, WIPO-administered treaties and IP‑related treaties, and IP judgments."

WTO "is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible." TRIPS "is the most comprehensive multilateral agreement on intellectual property (IP). It plays a central role in facilitating trade in knowledge and creativity, in resolving trade disputes over IP, and in assuring WTO members the latitude to achieve their domestic policy objectives. It frames the IP system in terms of innovation, technology transfer and public welfare. The Agreement is a legal recognition of the significance of links between IP and trade and the need for a balanced IP system."

ARL "is a nonprofit organization of 124 research libraries at comprehensive, research institutions in the US and Canada [including GW] that share similar research missions, aspirations, and achievements."

CCC's "mission is to make it easy for people to get, use and share content worldwide, while protecting the interests of creators, publishers and other copyright holders."

The Copyright Society's "mission is to foster interest in and advance the study and understanding of copyright law in literature, music, art, theater, motion picture, television, computer software, architecture, and other works of authorship, and their distribution through both traditional and new media."

"Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that enables sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge through the provision of free legal tools. Our legal tools help those who want to encourage reuse of their works by offering them for use under generous, standardized terms; those who want to make creative uses of works; and those who want to benefit from this symbiosis."

"The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, people with print disabilities, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge."

"The purpose of the LCA is to work toward a unified voice and common strategy for the library community in responding to and developing proposals to amend national and international copyright law and policy for the digital environment. The LCA’s mission is to foster global access and fair use of information for creativity, research, and education."

"Includes primary case law, statutes, regulations, as well as current feeds of newly filed copyright lawsuits, pending legislation, regulations, copyright office news, scholarly articles, blog and twitter feeds from practicing attorneys and law professors."

CSPD's "mission is to promote research and scholarship on the contributions of the public domain to speech, culture, science and innovation, to promote debate about the balance needed in our intellectual property system and to translate academic research into public policy solutions."

"This resource provides information about music copyright infringement cases from the mid-nineteenth century​ forward in the U.S. and, to an increasing extent, in foreign jurisdictions."

The AAP "represents the leading book, journal, and education publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, advocating for outcomes that incentivize the publication of creative expression, professional content, and learning solutions."

"The mission of Authors Alliance is to advance the interests of authors who want to serve the public good by sharing their creations broadly. We create resources to help authors understand and enjoy their rights and promote policies that make knowledge and culture available and discoverable."

"Dedicated to advocating policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright and to protecting the rights of creators and innovators."

"EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. We work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows."

IIPA is a "private sector coalition of trade associations representing U.S. copyright-based industries in bilateral and multilateral efforts working to improve international protection and enforcement of copyrighted materials and open up foreign markets closed by piracy and other market access barriers."