Copyright Law Act The Copyright Law Act of 1976 The Copyright Law Act of 1976 is the basis

of the United States copyright laws. The Copyright Law Act states the rights of copyright owners, the doctrine of the fair use copyright laws and it changed the term life of copyrights. Before the Copyright Law Act the law had not been revised since 1909. It was necessary that the copyright laws be revised to take into account technological strides that w ere being made in radio, sound recordings, motions pictures and more. The Copyri ght Law Act of 1976 preempted all previous laws that were on the books in the Un ited States, including the Copyright Act of 1909. The Copyright Law Act of 1976 defines works of authorship to include all of the fo llowing: - Musical works - Literary works - Dramatic works - Pictorial, sculptural and graphics - Motion Pictures and Audiovisuals - Sound Recordings - Choreographic Works and Pantomimes - An eighth work which falls under architectural works was later added in 1990. What is unique about the United States copyright law is that it is automatic. On ce someone has an idea and produces it in tangible form, the creator is the copy right holder and has the authority to enforce his exclusivity to it. In other w ords, the person is the owner of the creation. It is not necessary that a person register their work. However, it is recommended and it can serve as evidence if someone ever violates a copyright. It is interesting to note that when an emplo yer hires an employee to produce a work that the copyright is given to the emplo yer. Violations of US Copyright Law are generally enforced in a civil court setting. However, there could also be criminal sanctions brought against someone who viol ates US copyright law. Someone that is in serious violation of US Copyright Law such as counterfeiting can find themselves on the inside of prison looking out. People need to understand that the copyright symbol is not a requirement. Someon e may have a copyright, yet their work may not have a copyright notice or symbol . US Copyright Law covers a wide range of things that are derived from artistic ex pression, intellectual or creative work. This includes things such as literary w orks, music, drawings, photographs, software, movies, choreographic works such a s ballets and plays, poems, paintings and more. The law covers the form of expre ssion, not the concept, facts or the actual idea of the work. This means that someone can use another persons idea or concept and produce their own take on it. However, copying another persons work is a violation. It should be noted that some things may not be copyrighted but they may be protected by a patent or trademark.

Individuals who have a copyright on a particular piece of work can do with it wh at they will. They may choose to copy it and sell it. They may display their wor k or perform it in public and charge admission, or they can assign or sell the w ork to someone else. Individuals who have a copyright can also choose to do noth ing with their work, if that is their desire. However, if someone comes along and takes the work and tries to use it in some w ay, that person is still in violation of the owners copyright. The Copyright Law Act covers published and unpublished work.