Copyright
This material will establish foundational knowledge on copyright, and does not cover the scope of copyright laws. We will also limit scope of this section to the United States.
Some of you may have seen this viral photo and news story. A monkey took a “selfie” – which was in itself amusing. However, an interesting debate ensued as to who owned the copyright to this photo. Please read this NBC news article Links to an external site. for brief background on the story.
Copyright Basics
Please now read pages 1 – 6 of the United States Federal government document on copyright Links to an external site..
Then, please read this material from Brigham Young library, and pay special attention to “Copyright Myths Links to an external site..”
Here is another resource developed by the United States government to help you distinguish the differences between copyright and trademarks Links to an external site. – a common point of confusion.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is an important, albeit relatively new, part of the overall copyright conversation. Creative Commons (or CC) is a mechanism by which copyright holders can give advanced fairly explicit permission(s) as to how their work may be used.
To learn more about CC, please read the following pages:
Understanding Creative Commons Links to an external site.
Understanding Various Licenses Links to an external site.
Public Domain
Another option available to copyright holders is to place their work in the public domain Links to an external site.. As you read, this public domain becomes automatic 70 years after the death of the copyright holder.
However, Creative Commons CC0 Links to an external site. makes it possible to immediately release material to the public domain.
Find out the determination in the monkey selfie case on the next page after taking the Copyright Quiz.-->