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Who is an author?
Under the copyright law, the creator of the original expression
in a work is its author. The
author is also the owner of copyright unless there is a written
agreement by which the
author assigns the copyright to another person or entity, such
as a publisher. In cases of
works made for hire, the employer or commissioning party is considered
to be the author.
What is a deposit?
A deposit is usually one copy (if unpublished) or two copies
(if published) of the work to
be registered for copyright. In certain cases such as works of
the visual arts, identifying
material such as a photograph may be used instead. The deposit
is sent with the
application and fee and becomes the property of the Library of
Congress.
What is publication?
Publication has a technical meaning in copyright law. According
to the statute,“ Publication is the distribution of copies
or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale
or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
The offering to distribute
copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of
further distribution, public
performance, or public display constitutes publication. A public
performance or display
of a work does not of itself constitute publication.” Generally,
publication occurs on the
date on which copies of the work are first made available to
the public.
What is a copyright notice? How do I put a copyright notice
on my work?
A copyright notice is an identifier placed on copies of the work
to inform the world of
copyright ownership that generally consists of the symbol or
word “copyright
(or copr.),” the name of the copyright owner, and the year of first publication,
e.g., ©2003 John Doe.
While use of a copyright notice was once required as a condition
of copyright protection,
it is now optional. Use of the notice is the responsibility of
the copyright owner and does
not require advance permission from, or registration with, the
Copyright Office.
What is copyright infringement?
As a general matter, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted
work is
reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made
into a derivative work
without the permission of the copyright owner.
What is peer-to-peer (P2P) networking?
A type of network where computers communicate directly with each
other, rather than
through a central server. Often referred to simply as peer-to-peer,
or abbreviated P2P, a
type of network in which each workstation has equivalent capabilities
and responsibilities
in contrast to client/server architectures, in which some computers
are dedicated to
serving the other computers. A "network" is a group
of two or more computer systems
linked together by various methods. In recent usage, peer-to-peer
has come to describe
applications in which users can use the Internet to exchange
files with each other directly or through a mediating server.
Where is the public domain?
The public domain is not a place. A work of authorship is in
the “public
domain” if it is
no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the
requirements for copyright
protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without
the permission of the
former copyright owner.
What is mandatory deposit?
Copies of all works under copyright protection that have been
published in the United
States are required to be deposited with the Copyright Office
within 3 months of the date
of first publication.
What is a work made for hire?
Although the general rule is that the person who creates the
work is its author, there is an
exception to that principle; the exception is a work made for
hire, which is a work
prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment;
or a work specially
ordered or commissioned in certain specified circumstances.
When a work qualifies as a
work made for hire, the employer, or commissioning party, is
considered to be the author.
What is a Library of Congress number?
The Library of Congress Control Number is assigned by the Library
at its discretion to
assist librarians in acquiring and cataloging works. For
further information call the
Cataloging in Publication Division at (202) 707-6345.
What is an ISBN number?
The International Standard Book Number is administered by
the R. R. Bowker Company,
877- 310-7333. The ISBN is a numerical identifier intended
to assist the international
community in identifying and ordering certain publications.
