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Reeves Library for Faculty

A guide for faculty support from Reeves Library

Copyright FAQ

Q: How Long Does Copyright Protection Last? 
A: It depends on the official date of copyright! Currently, works created on or after January 1, 1978, have a copyright term of the life of the author, plus 70 years after the author's death. For works without an author, or made for hire, the copyright protection is 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter. For more detail on this, browse the Circular 15A Duration of Copyright document!

Q: What Rights Does Copyright Provide? 
A: U.S. copyright law provides copyright owners with the following exclusive rights:

  • Reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords.
  • Prepare derivative works based on the work.
  • Distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease, or lending.
  • Perform the work publicly if it is a literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic work; a pantomime; or a motion picture or other audiovisual work.
  • Display the work publicly if it is a literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic work; a pantomime; or a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work. This right also applies to the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work.
  • Perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission if the work is a sound recording.
    copied directly from copyright.gov

Q: What is the Public Domain? 
A: The Public Domain is a state of belonging to the public as a whole and not being protected by copyright law.  Works in the public domain are those for which copyright protection has expired, been forfeited, or were inapplicable.  They can be copied, distributed, performed, and displayed without seeking permission or applying an exception under copyright law. Need help knowing if something is in the public domain? Use the Copyright Genie!