FAQ: Questions and Answers

[back to notice text] Question: What is fair use? Answer: There are no hard and fast rules for fair use (and anyone who tells you that a set number of words or percentage of a work is "fair" is talking about guidelines, not the law). The Copyright Act sets out four factors for courts to look at (17 U.S.C. [back to notice text] Question: What kinds of things are copyrightable? Answer: In order for material to be copyrightable, it must be original and must be in a fixed medium. Only material that originated with the author can support a copyright. Items from the public domain which appear in a work, as well as work borrowed from others, cannot be the subject of an infringement claim. Also, certain stock material might not be copyrightable, such as footage that indicates a location like the standard shots of San Francisco in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Also exempted are stock characters like the noisy punk rocker who gets the Vulcan death grip in Star Trek IV. The requirement that works be in a fixed medium leaves out certain forms of expression, most notably choreography and oral performances such as speeches. For instance, if I perform a Klingon death wail in a local park, my performance is not copyrightable. However, if I film the performance, then the film is copyrightable. Single words and short phrases are generally not protected by copyright, even when the name has been "coined" or newly-created by the mark owner. Logos that include original design elements can be protected under copyright or under trademark. Otherwise, words, phrases and titles may be protected only by trademark, however. [back to notice text] Question: Does copyright protect words or short phrases? Answer: No. Names, titles, and short phrases are not subject to copyright protection. These are not deemed to be "original works of authorship" under the Copyright Act. Names may be protected by trademark, in some instances. See the Trademark FAQ for more information. [back to notice text] Question: What is copyright notice? Answer: A Copyright notice is placed on copies of a work buy the owner in order to inform the public that he holds copyright in the work. The public is then "on notice" that the work is copyrighted and unauthorized copying may infringe the copyright owner's rights. Generally, a proper copyright notice must contain: 1. The symbol ©, the word “Copyright”, or the abbreviation “Copr.” 2. The year of first publication of the work. 3. The name of the copyright owner, an recognizable abbreviation of the copyright owner's name, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. The notice must also be placed on copies of a work so that they give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright. The legal effect of proper copyright notice is to prevent a defendant in a copyright infringement suit to raise a defense based on innocent infringement. Simply, it prevents a defendant from saying "I had no idea that this work was copyrighted and I should not have to pay damages for willful infringement." The specific notice provisions are set forth in 17 U.S.C. § 401-406. [back to notice text] Question: What may be copyrighted? Answer: In order to be copyrightable, a work must be 1. fixed in a tangible medium of expression ; and 2. original. Copyrights do not protect ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, principles, or discoveries: they only protect physical representations. 17 U.S.C. [back to notice text] Question: What constitutes unlicensed copy and display of copyrighted material? Answer: Unlicensed use or distribution of copyrighted works is illegal and may be considered a criminal act. Copyright law grants the exclusive right to use, copy, distribute, display and perform a copyrighted work to the owner of the copyright. The owner of the copyright is the only entity that may grant permission for anyone to use, copy, distribute, display and perform the work.

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