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What Is The Purpose of Copyright Law. The basis for copyright protection stems directly from the U.S. Constitution. The Framers believed that securing for limited times the exclusive rights of authors to their writings would “promote the progress of science and useful arts.”
Copyright has been a part of U.S. law since the nation’s founding. Congress passed the first federal copyright law in 1790, and has updated it throughout the years to keep up with the times. Our copyright timeline explains more of copyright’s history.
United States copyright law traces its lineage back to the British Statute of Anne, which influenced the first U.S. federal copyright law, the Copyright Act of 1790. The length of copyright established by the Founding Fathers was 14 years, plus the ability to renew it one time, for 14 more.
Thus, copyright law ensures that people can’t copy someone else’s work or make changes to it without getting permission and/or compensating the author. In addition, federal copyright registration forms require authorship of a creative work to be represented accurately.
This page explains what copyright is, some basics about how it works, some ideas about why copyright laws exist, and some places the laws bend.
Copyright laws exist to manage ownership, use, and distribution of creative works. In this economic view, creators produce works primarily to earn a living. By enabling creators to get paid through copyright protection, the law encourages the production of more creative works.
The United States Copyright Office registers copyright claims, records information about copyright ownership, provides information to the public about copyright, and assists Congress and other parts of the government on a wide range of copyright issues.
Copyright law governs more than just copying. It establishes the rights that creators have in relation to their works, as well as the rights others may have to reproduce, distribute, modify, display, or perform them. Copyright is best understood as a bundle of rights, each of which may be exercised independently.
This guide is a brief introduction to copyright relevant to students, researchers and lecturers. It introduces the basic concepts of copyright, including Copyright, Creative Commons licensing and Fair Dealing. It will also provide some quick guidelines on how to avoid infringing copyright law.
The authority to establish Copyright Law comes from the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8. When reading about copyright a variation of the phrase, "“promote the progress of science and useful arts” is often used.