On this page you'll find information about:
The general rule of thumb is to seek permission from the copyright owner to use protected works, as they hold exclusive rights to the work. There are exceptions to those exclusive rights. US Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 107-112 outlines limitations of owners' rights. The most common exceptions include:
Fair Use guidelines are just that. Each person must assess whether their usage complies with Fair Use guidelines. Please see Cornell University's Fair Use Checklist to aid in your decision-making. The form is also available as a PDF file at the top of this page. Users are encouraged to keep the completed checklist for their records.
Generally, copyright lasts the life of the creator plus seventy years after the date of death. Once that period of time expires, or if the creator fails to comply with any legal formalities required at the time of creation or thereafter, the work enters the public domain - meaning it belongs to everyone, without restriction. The creator may also decide before the expiration of the copyright to dedicate the work to the public domain, giving that new creation for public use. Orphan works retain normal copyright, while anonymous works retain copyright 120 years from the date of creation.
Works published before 1928 are considered public domain (expired or released copyright); works published before 1978 without a copyright notice are also in the public domain (compliance failure); and government information is also in the public domain – this will include federally-funded research by the end of 2025. [From Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)].
To determine when works entered or will enter the Public Domain., see this comprehensive chart of copyright lengths by Peter HIrtle of Cornell University or take a deep dive into the Public Domain Information Project.
Fair Use video from U.S. Copyright Office, 2019.
Information contained in this guide is educational in nature and is not intended as legal advice.
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