graphic
 

Copyright Matters



Concerned About Copyright?


WHAT WORKS ARE PROTECTED?


Copyright protects 'original works of authorship' that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. The fixation need not be directly perceptible so long as it may be communicated with the aid of a machine or device. Copyrightable works include the following categories:



These categories should be viewed broadly. For example, computer programs and most 'compilations' may be registered as 'literary works'; maps and architectural plans may be registered as 'pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.'


WHAT IS NOT PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT?


Several categories of material are generally not eligible for federal copyright protection. These include among others:



A clarification on the last item, which is the primary concern for genealogists. No copyright may be claimed on an original public domain source document, or on copies made of it. However, copyright may be claimed on the work effort to compile, organize, format and present abstracted information from the same public domain source document. In other words, materials contributed to this website must be taken drectly from the original source document, not from a published book, CD, website, or other compiled source.


Copyright 2023

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