Intellectual Property Research: Copyright

• Copyright Basics (Circular 1)
  • Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship”
    that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. An original work of authorship is a work that is independently created by
    a human author and possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. A work is “fixed” when it is captured (either
    by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time. Copyright protection in the United States exists automatically from the moment the original work of authorship is fixed.
• All Copyright Circulars
  • Circulars are published by the Copyright Office to provide up-to-date and authoritative information to a general audience.
  • How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work
• Copyright Office Website
• Copyright Public Records System
• Fair Use Index
  • Provided by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect case law on the fair use doctrine. 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).
• Legislative Developments
  • Tracks pending and enacted copyright legislation
• Public Catalog
  • Database of works registered and copyright documents recorded with the U.S. Copyright Office since January 1, 1978.
  • Guide to Searching the Copyright Office Catalog
• Stanford University Libraries: Searching the Copyright Office and Library of Congress Records
  • Guide on how to search copyright records of the Copyright Office and Library of Congress.

• This link opens in a new windoAALL Copyright for Librarians Resource Guide
  • Collection of copyright resources from the American Association of Law Libraries. Although aimed at librarians, these resources may also be helpful for students and faculty.
• Copyright at Cornell Libraries: Copyright Term and the Public Domain
  • Chart listing copyright terms by types of works, or date of publication.
• Copyright Claims Board
  • The Copyright Claims Board is a three-member tribunal established by the CASE Act that hears "small claims" copyright disputes of up to $30,000.
• Copyright Royalty Board
  • The Copyright Royalty Board is comprised of three judges who determine and adjust royalty rates and terms applicable to statutory copyright licenses.
• Copyright Society of the USA
  • The Copyright Society of the USA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of copyright law in the United States.
• Digital Copyright Slider
  • A reference tool hosted by the American Library Association's Copyright Advisory Network, the Copyright Slider provides a quick reference for the copyright status of a work by its publication date.
• Drexel University Libraries: Copyright FAQ
  • FAQ maintained by Drexel University Libraries on copyright, fair use, and library copyright policies.
• Fair Use Evaluator
  • Tool created by Michael Brewer & American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy to help evaluate fair use.
• Legal Information Institute: Copyright
  • An overview of copyright law from Cornell's Wex encyclopedia
• Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center
  • Stanford University libraries web site on copyright with a primary focus on copyright in an academic setting.
• University of Texas Libraries: Copyright Crash Course
  • Guide intended as an introduction to copyright for faculty, created and maintained by the UT Libraries

• Associate's Guide to the Practice of Copyright Law
• Lexis Plus - All Copyright Law Treatises, Guides & Jurisprudence
• Nimmer on Copyright
  • Available on Lexis Plus
• Patry on Copyright
  • Available on Westlaw Precision
• Patry on Fair Use
  • Available on Westlaw Precision
• Westlaw Precision - Copyright Secondary Sources

A good way to find cases about copyrights is to start with a relevant copyright statute section. Title 17 of the U.S. Code in either Lexis or Westlaw provide annotations and citation features. Case Notes in Lexis or Notes of Decisions in Westlaw provide summaries of prominent cases. You can also use Shepherd's in Lexis or the Citing References tab in Westlaw to find additional cases that cite that code section.

• American Law Reports: Intellectual Property
  • Westlaw Precision
• Lexis - Copyright Case Advanced Search
• Westlaw
  • Federal Copyright Cases
    • Go to Copyright tab
  • KeyNumber System: Copyrights & Intellectual Property