Section Library
Copyright Laws
A copyright is a form of protection for original published and unpublished works of authorship in areas such as literature, music, drama, etc. The owner of a copyright has the right to authorize others to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, etc., the original work. There may also be situations where limited use of copyrighted material may be allowed upon payment of specified royalties.
A work should be copyrighted to assure ownership by the author who created it. Copyrights should be registered to avoid later legal questions of ownership. A work is eligible for copyright protection if is published in the United States or in a country with similar copyright laws. Contact the Copyright Office, Library of Congress at (202) 707-9100 for application forms.
Works published before March 1, 1989 must bear a notice of copyright. It is suggested that works published after March 1, 1989 also bear a notice of copyright. Notice of copyright is comprised of three elements: the copyright symbol ( ), the word "copyright," or the abbreviation "copr.;" the year of first publication; and the name of the owner. The notice on records include a symbol (the letter P in a circle), the year of publication, and the name of the owner.
Copyright protection has a limited life depending on when the work was originally published, what type of work was published, and the life of the author. Works created by an author or authors will have copyright protection for the life or lives of the author(s) plus 50 years. Works created under hire circumstances will have a copyright for 75 years from publication or 100 years from creation, whichever is shorter.
It is standard practice of the Association headquarters to request transfer of copyright for papers published in the Journal and other publications, for papers presented at conferences, etc.