The Lovely Librarian

What is copyright?

The Copyright Society of the United States explains copyright by saying this:

Copyright law in the United States is embodied in federal laws enacted by Congress. The current copyright law, the Copyright Act of 1976 (as amended), is codified in Title 17 of the U.S. Code. Copyright is protection. It is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. It is a bundle of "exclusive rights" given to the author of any such work. What that means is that, as the author of the work, you alone have the right, the exclusive right, to do any of the following or to give others permission to do any of the following: 1. Make copies of your work; 2. Distribute copies of your work; 3. Perform your work publicly (such as for plays, film, or music); 4. Display your work publicly (such as for artwork, or any material used on the Internet or television); and 5. Make "derivative works" (including making modifications, adaptations or other new uses of a work that is derived from the original, …which also includes translating the work to another media). In general, it is illegal for anyone to do any of the things listed above with a work created by you without your permission, but there are some exceptions and limitations to your rights as a copyright holder. One major limitation is the doctrine of "Fair Use." The "Fair Use" doctrine allows limited copying of copyrighted works for educational and research purposes.

So, what is covered by copyright?

Literary works (i.e., all text, which includes computer software);

Musical works, including any accompanying words;

Dramatic works, including any accompanying music;

Pantomimes and choreographic works;

Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;

Motion pictures and other audiovisual works;

Sound recordings; and

Architectural works. 

Creative Commons

If all this stuff is protected by copyright, then how can you add cool photos and text to your own work?

One place to start is Creative Commons. Creative Commons makes it easier for people to share and edit work created by others. You can also protect YOUR work by licensing it with Creative Commons for free. The six types of licenses are explained here.

Several search engines have worked with Creative Commons to make it easy to find CC works, including:

Google Advanced Search;

The Internet Archive; and

Yahoo Advanced Search.

You can find awesome Creative Common images by searching the following sites:

Flickr Creative Commons Search; and

Google Advanced Image Search.

To find various music and sounds with Creative Commons licenses, try:

CC Mixter; or