US Copyright Law

Copyrights are rights to copy, distribute, display and perform creative works. They are one of the basic forms of intellectual property.

This text discusses copyright law as it applies in the United States. This concise presentation necessarily omits a number of important provisions of a very complex area of law.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • High Level Historical Overview
  • Copyright is a Monopoly
• International Copyright
  • American Economic Copyright
  • European Moral Rights Copyright
• Copyrightable Works
  • Uncopyrightable Works
• Formalities
• Rights
• Infringement
• Remedies
• Fair Use
• Copyright Advocacy
  • Anti-Copyright
  • Open Culture
  • Copyright Expansion