Copyright laws (title 17, U. S. Code) provide protection to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. For complete copyright information, see the United States Copyright Office's web page.

Under copyright law, if you don't own the copyright to a work, you cannot do the following without permission from the copyright holder:

•  Reproduce copies of the work
•  Create derivitave works based on the work
•  Distribute copies of the work
•  Perform the work publicly
•  Display the work publicly

However, under certain circumstances, using parts of copyrighted works is considered “fair use,” and is allowable under the law. Courts consider these four factors in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Click here for more information on fair use from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Educational uses of copyrighted works, such as class presentations, often fall into the “fair use” category. Find out more about what copyright means to you as a student in UCLA's tutorial on Intellectual Property.

Many authors, musicians, and other creators have begun using Creative Commons licenses, which allow others to use their work in certain ways without asking permission. For more information about Creative Commons, watch this flash movie.