"Copyrighted works, which may include literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, are those which have been afforded a form of protection provided by United States law (Title 17 of the United States Code (17 USC - Copyrights) . Copyright protection is automatic once an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium of expression."
"Copyright Compliance Policy." University Policies. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1995. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.wpi.edu/offices/policies/glossary.html>.
Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner. According to the U. S. Copyright Office, 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. Many U.S. federal government documents are not entitled to copyright protection under U.S. law; therefore, images within many government publications and web sites are free to use.
If you decide to place a work of your own in the public domain through, for example, the Creative Commons's Public Domain Dedication, be aware that "Dedicator recognizes that, once placed in the public domain, the Work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and in any way, including by methods that have not yet been invented or conceived.
-From the Copyright Office
• Items published before 1923
• Works published 1923-1963 whose copyright was not renewed
• Works created by a U.S. federal government officer or employee as part of official duties. (Items such as those published by the U.S. Government printing office, Supreme Court Decisions; the CIA Factbook, and many other documents including the descriptions of patents that have been granted by the USPTO. But this does not give others permission to manufacture or use the invention during the life of the patent without permission from the inventor.)
• Serendip-o-matic- By first examining your research interests, and then identifying related content in locations such as the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), Europeana, and Flickr Commons, the serendipity engine helps you discover photographs, documents, maps and other primary sources.
• Basics of Intellectual Property- UCLA Library tutorial on copyright, trademarks and patents
• Definition of Intellectual Property according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica
image from freedigitalphotos.net
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