Copyright Law

Website 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 arranged by topic and cover the 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 Copyright Office’s policies and procedures, refer to the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices.

This archive includes copies of certain Copyright Office documents, such as reviews of registrability decisions and answers to legal questions concerning Copyright Royalty Board proceedings. Includes some amicus briefs filed by the U.S. Government.

U.S. Copyright Office documents concerning copyright law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence (AI), including the scope of copyright in AI-generated works and the use of copyrighted materials in AI training.

The Compendium is the administrative manual of the Register of Copyrights concerning the mandate and statutory duties of the Copyright Office under Title 17 of the United States Code. See 37 CFR. § 201.2(b)(7).

The Fair Use Index tracks a variety of judicial decisions to help people better understand the types of uses courts have previously determined to be fair (or not fair).

Database of Copyright Review Board decisions (April 2016-present), which are final administrative appeals of refusals of copyright registration.

The Copyright Claims Board resolves copyright disputes of a relatively low economic value. Participation is voluntary and is intended to provide an efficient, less expensive alternative to federal court.

The Judges of the Copyright Royalty Board determine and adjust royalty rates and terms applicable to 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.

Includes links to the Copyright Office's Official Public Catalog (1978-Present), Virtual Card Catalog (1870-1977), and How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work (Circular 22).

WIPO is a United Nations agency charged with helping governments, businesses, and society realize the benefits of intellectual property. Website includes comprehensive information on intellectual property.

WIPO's Copyright page includes links to copyright topics and issues, news, laws and treaties, standing committee documents, and studies.

WIPO administers 27 intellectual property treaties, including the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.

WIPO Lex provides free access to legal information on intellectual property (IP) from around the world. The WIPO Lex Database is organized into three IP collections: laws and regulations, treaties, and judgments.

Contacts for national and regional IP offices around the world.

The WTO deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. The WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is a comprehensive multilateral agreement on IP.

The Copyright Society seeks to 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.

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.

The Internet Archive is an online library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form (such as books and television programs). Its mission is to provide universal access to all knowledge.

Sponsored by GW Law School and Columbia Law School, 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 Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Website includes primary case law, statutes, regulations, and current feeds on copyright matters from a variety of sources. Also includes useful copyright charts and tools.

The AAP represents publishers in the United States on matters of law and policy, including advocating for strong copyright laws and working to protect free speech and advance research and scholarship.

Authors Alliance seeks to advance the interests of authors who want to serve the public good by sharing their creations broadly.

The Copyright Alliance represents the copyright interests of individual creators and organizations in the United States.

The Copyright Clearance Center provides copyright education and advocacy and operates a voluntary licensing program that enables businesses and academic institutions to get permission to use copyright-protected materials, while compensating publishers and content creators for the use of their works.

Creative Commons provides licenses and public domain tools that give users a free, simple, and standardized way to grant copyright permissions for creative and academic works; ensure proper attribution; and enable others to copy, distribute, and make use of those works.

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

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

The Library Copyright Alliance addresses copyright issues that affect libraries and their users and works to foster global access to and fair use of information for creativity, research, and education.