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<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge" /><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><title>Copyright 101 - Copyright Services - LibGuides at Cornell University</title><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"><meta name="robots" content="noarchive" /><link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/jpg" href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cul-it/library-website-branding/refs/heads/master/final/favicon.ico"/>  <meta name="DC.Title" content="LibGuides: Copyright Services: Copyright 101"/> <meta name="DC.Creator" content="Matthew Kopel"/> <meta name="DC.Subject" content=""/> <meta name="DC.Description" content="An introduction to copyright concepts"/> <meta name="DC.Publishers" content="Cornell University"/> <meta name="DC.Rights" content="Copyright Cornell University 2025"/> <meta name="DC.Language" content="en"/> <meta name="DC.Identifier" 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class="breadcrumb-item"><a href="http://www.library.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a></li><li id="s-lib-bc-site" class="breadcrumb-item"><a href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/">LibGuides</a></li><li id="s-lib-bc-guide" class="breadcrumb-item"><a href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright">Copyright Services</a></li><li id="s-lib-bc-page" class="active breadcrumb-item">Copyright 101</li></ol></nav> </div> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-search"> <div id="s-lg-guide-search-box"> <form role="search" id="s-lg-guide-search-form" action="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/srch.php" method="GET"> <div class="input-group input-group-sm"> <input type="text" id="s-lg-guide-search-terms" name="q" class="form-control" maxlength="260" placeholder="Search this Guide"> <label class="sr-only" for="s-lg-guide-search-terms">Search this Guide</label><input type="hidden" name="guide_id" value="999376" /><span class="input-group-btn"><button class="btn btn-default" type="submit">Search</button></span></div></form></div> </div> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-info" role="banner" aria-labelledby="s-lg-guide-name"> <h1 id="s-lg-guide-name">Copyright Services: Copyright 101</h1> <div id="s-lg-guide-desc-container" class="pad-top-med"> <span id="s-lg-guide-description"></span> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-url"> <span class="s-lg-guide-label">URL:</span> <span class="s-lg-text-greyout">https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright</span> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div id="s-lg-tabs-container" class="container s-lib-side-borders pad-top-med"> <div id="s-lg-guide-tabs" class="tabs" role="navigation" aria-label="Guide tab navigation"> <ul class="nav nav-tabs split-button-nav"> <li class="active"><a title="An introduction to copyright concepts" class="active" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/copyright-101" ><span>Copyright 101</span></a></li><li class="dropdown clearfix"><a title="An introduction to the priciples of licensing for reuse" class="s-lg-tab-top-link pull-left" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/licenses-oa" ><span>Licenses and Open Access</span></a><a class="s-lg-tab-drop dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" href="javascript:void(0);" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span><span class="sr-only">Toggle Dropdown</span></a><ul class="s-lg-subtab-ul dropdown-menu"><li class=""><a title="An overview of current and changing Public Access policies for federally funded research" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/public-access" style="" >Federal Public Access Policies </a></li></ul></li><li class="dropdown clearfix"><a title="A guide to using copyrighted materials safely and responsibly" class="s-lg-tab-top-link pull-left" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/fair-use" ><span>Using Copyrighted Materials</span></a><a class="s-lg-tab-drop dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" href="javascript:void(0);" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span><span class="sr-only">Toggle Dropdown</span></a><ul class="s-lg-subtab-ul dropdown-menu"><li class=""><a title="Understanding fair use" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/fair-use" style="" >Fair Use </a></li><li class=""><a title="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/course-films" style="" >Using Film in Instruction </a></li><li class=""><a title="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/social" style="" >Using Copyrighted Works on Social Media </a></li><li class=""><a title="a guide to posting copyrighted music online" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/music" style="" >Using Recorded Music on the Web </a></li><li class=""><a title="basics of seeking permission to reuse in-copyright material" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/permission" style="" >Seeking Permission </a></li><li class=""><a title="An overview of the TEACH Act legislation" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/teach-act" style="" >TEACH Act </a></li></ul></li><li class=""><a title="" class="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain" ><span>Copyright Term and the Public Domain</span></a></li><li class="dropdown clearfix"><a title="A collection of copyright resources for the Cornell community" class="s-lg-tab-top-link pull-left" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/authors" ><span>Copyright Resources</span></a><a class="s-lg-tab-drop dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" href="javascript:void(0);" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span><span class="sr-only">Toggle Dropdown</span></a><ul class="s-lg-subtab-ul dropdown-menu"><li class=""><a title="Basic guidance for authors regarding copyright of their work" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/authors" style="" >Copyright Management for Authors </a></li><li class=""><a title="A guide for faculty to protect their course materials online" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/course-material" style="" >Copyright Management of Course Material (DMCA Takedown) </a></li></ul></li><li class="dropdown clearfix"><a title="a primer on intellectual property and privacy rights for Cornellians" class="s-lg-tab-top-link pull-left" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/policies" ><span>IP Rights & Privacy</span></a><a class="s-lg-tab-drop dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" href="javascript:void(0);" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span><span class="sr-only">Toggle Dropdown</span></a><ul class="s-lg-subtab-ul dropdown-menu"><li class=""><a title="An overview of Cornell copyright policies" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/policies" style="" >Cornell Policies </a></li><li class=""><a title="An overview of student rights and protections" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/ferpa" style="" >FERPA and Student Rights </a></li></ul></li><li class=""><a title="" class="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/authorrights" target="_blank" ><span>Author Rights Resources</span> <i class="fa fa-fw fa-external-link " aria-hidden="true" title="This link opens in a new window"></i><span class="sr-only">This link opens in a new window</span></a></li><li class=""><a title="" class="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=999376&p=9555454" ><span>Small Claims / Copyright Claims Board / CASE Act</span></a></li><li class=""><a title="A guide to showing films on Cornell University Campus" class="" href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/film" ><span>Film on Campus</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="s-lg-guide-tabs-title-bar" class="container s-lib-side-borders"></div>   <div id="s-lg-guide-main" class="container s-lib-main s-lib-side-borders" role="main" aria-label="Guide content"> <div class="row s-lg-row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <div class="row s-lg-row"><div id="s-lg-col-126" class="col-md-12"><div class="s-lg-col-boxes"></div></div></div><div class="row s-lg-row"><div id="s-lg-col-1" class="col-md-3"><div class="s-lg-col-boxes"><div id="s-lg-box-wrapper-35084770" class="s-lg-box-wrapper-35084770"><div id="s-lg-box-27514577-container" class="s-lib-box-container"> <div id="s-lg-box-27514577" class="s-lib-box s-lib-box-std"> <h2 class="s-lib-box-title">Popular Resources</h2><div id="s-lg-box-collapse-27514577" > <div class="s-lib-box-content"> <div class=""><ul id="s-lg-link-list-70547967" class="s-lg-link-list s-lg-link-list-4"><li class=" pad-bottom-sm"><div id="s-lg-content-63936868" class=""><span><a href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/ld.php?content_id=63936868" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" onclick="return springSpace.springTrack.trackLink({link: this,_st_type_id: '5',_st_content_id: '63936868',_st_inc_return: this});"><i class="s-lg-file-icon fa fa-file-pdf-o" style="font-size:1.5em; margin-right:5px;"></i>Fair Use Checklist (Updated 2021)</a> <i class="fa fa-lg fa-info-circle pad-left-sm" tabindex="0" role="button" data-toggle="popover" data-trigger="focus" data-content="A guide to performing and documenting a fair use assessment"></i><span class="sr-only">A guide to performing and documenting a fair use assessment</span> <script> jQuery(function () { jQuery('[data-toggle="popover"]').popover() }) </script>  </span></div></li></ul></div><div class=""><ul id="s-lg-link-list-70595195" class="s-lg-link-list s-lg-link-list-2"><li class=""><div id="s-lg-content-68135325" class=""><span><a href="https://www.library.cornell.edu/about/policies/copyright-guidelines" onclick="return springSpace.springTrack.trackLink({link: this,_st_type_id: '2',_st_content_id: '68135325',_st_inc_return: this});">Guidelines for Using Text, Images, Audio, and Video from Cornell University Library Collections</a></span></div></li></ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div><div id="s-lg-box-wrapper-32466439" class="s-lg-box-wrapper-32466439"><div id="s-lg-box-27605952-container" class="s-lib-box-container"> <div id="s-lg-box-27605952" class="s-lib-box s-lib-box-std"> <h2 class="s-lib-box-title">Learn About Copyright</h2><div id="s-lg-box-collapse-27605952" > <div class="s-lib-box-content"> <div class=""><ul id="s-lg-link-list-66442346" class="s-lg-link-list s-lg-link-list-2"><li class=""><div id="s-lg-content-64023631" class=""><span><a href="http://www.loc.gov./copyright/title17/" onclick="return springSpace.springTrack.trackLink({link: this,_st_type_id: '2',_st_content_id: '64023631',_st_inc_return: this});">Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17)</a> <i class="fa fa-lg fa-info-circle pad-left-sm" tabindex="0" role="button" data-toggle="popover" data-trigger="focus" data-content="The text of Title 17 of the United States Code, including all amendments enacted by Congress through December 27, 2020."></i><span class="sr-only">The text of Title 17 of the United States Code, including all amendments enacted by Congress through December 27, 2020.</span> <script> jQuery(function () { jQuery('[data-toggle="popover"]').popover() }) </script>  </span></div></li><li class=""><div id="s-lg-content-64023644" class=""><span><a href="http://www.loc.gov/copyright/" onclick="return springSpace.springTrack.trackLink({link: this,_st_type_id: '2',_st_content_id: '64023644',_st_inc_return: this});">U.S. Copyright Office</a></span></div></li><li class=""><div id="s-lg-content-64025830" class=""><span><a href="https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/copyright" onclick="return springSpace.springTrack.trackLink({link: this,_st_type_id: '2',_st_content_id: '64025830',_st_inc_return: this});">Copyright Crash Course @ University of Texas Libraries</a> <i class="fa fa-lg fa-info-circle pad-left-sm" tabindex="0" role="button" data-toggle="popover" data-trigger="focus" data-content="The Copyright Crash Course (CCC) was originally created with faculty in mind, but can be used by anyone who is interested in understanding and managing their copyrights."></i><span class="sr-only">The Copyright Crash Course (CCC) was originally created with faculty in mind, but can be used by anyone who is interested in understanding and managing their copyrights.</span> <script> jQuery(function () { jQuery('[data-toggle="popover"]').popover() }) </script>  </span></div></li></ul></div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div></div><div id="s-lg-col-2" class="col-md-9"><div class="s-lg-col-boxes"><div id="s-lg-box-wrapper-32355789" class="s-lg-box-wrapper-32355789"><div id="s-lg-box-27513299-container" class="s-lib-box-container"> <div id="s-lg-box-27513299" class="s-lib-box s-lib-box-std"> <h2 class="s-lib-box-title">What is Intellectual Property (IP)?</h2><div id="s-lg-box-collapse-27513299" > <div class="s-lib-box-content"> <div id="s-lg-content-63801611" class=" clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item" property="schema:text"> <p><strong>General IP</strong>: Intellectual Property (IP) is the catch-all term for non-physical but identifiable property. Think of the text of a book: it can be presented in various languages, or different physical forms, but the underlying content remains the same. This underlying content is the intellectual property. In the USA, there are 3 main designations for IP protection that individuals can utilize, these are: Copyright, Trademark and Patent.</p> <p><strong>Trademarks v Patents v Copyright: </strong>Trademarks, Patents & Copyrights all cover different types of IP, and have different goals.</p> <ul> <li><em>Trademarks</em> can be logos or phrases, and are generally intended to help an individual tell one brand or corporate entity from another. They must be federally registered and renewed, and expire if they are not renewed. For example, the Cornell seal is trademarked by Cornell, and cannot be used without Cornell’s permission</li> <li><em>Patents</em> can be for mechanical processes or formulas, and are generally intended to limit production to the patent holder. They must be federally registered and renewed, and expire after time. For example, a medication can be patented, and can then only be produced with permission of the patent holder.</li> <li><em>Copyright</em> can be on any creative expression in a fixed medium. They do not need to be federally registered or renewed. For example, the copyright to this website belongs to Cornell (but we are licensing it under a CC-BY-ShareAlike )</li> </ul> <p>For an all-inclusive example, let’s imagine a bottle of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Corp owns the trademark to the name Coca-Cola, as well as the trademark on the bottle shape, and the graphic representation of their name. These are all things that help distinguish them from other cola brands and define their individual product. Coca-Cola also owns the patent on their formula. This means that no other corporation is allowed to make their cola in quite the same way Coca-Cola makes theirs. Coca-Cola also owns the copyright on their ads and jingles, and the creative copy on their bottles. Unless your use meets a Fair Use standard, you are not allowed to use their copy without receiving their permission!</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div><div id="s-lg-box-wrapper-32355799" class="s-lg-box-wrapper-32355799"><div id="s-lg-box-27513306-container" class="s-lib-box-container"> <div id="s-lg-box-27513306" class="s-lib-box s-lib-box-std"> <h2 class="s-lib-box-title">Copyright Concepts</h2><div id="s-lg-box-collapse-27513306" > <div class="s-lib-box-content"> <div id="s-lg-content-63801641" class=" clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field--item" property="schema:text"> <p><strong>Goals of Copyright</strong>: The stated goal of US copyright law is to promote progress by securing time-limited exclusive rights for creators. (paraphrased from <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section8">Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the US Constitution</a>)</p> <p><strong>Exclusive Rights of Creators</strong>: Right now, in the USA, Copyright is automatic for content in a fixed form. If you write a book or draw a picture, those things are under copyright, and you are entitled to six exclusive rights about them:</p> <ul> <li>The right to reproduce</li> <li>The right to create derivative works (eg: adapting a book into a play)</li> <li>The right to distribute copies, or transfer ownership of the work</li> <li>The right to perform the work publicly</li> <li>The right to display the work publicly</li> <li>The right to perform the work publicly via digital audio transmission (if sound recording)</li> </ul> <p>You are not required to register your copyright with the Copyright Office. You are not required to include a copyright statement. If you anticipate that your work will be a high-value project, or that there may be a copyright dispute in the future, you can <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/eco/">register with the Copyright Office</a>.</p> <p>There are limitations on these exclusive rights, the most common of which are Fair Use and Reproduction by Libraries and Archives (for an exhaustive list, see: <a href="http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107">US Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 107-112</a>.</p> <p><strong>Things that cannot be copyrighted: </strong>Facts cannot be copyrighted, which means that things like basic math, recipes, alphabets, grammatical tropes (eg: “I before e, except after c”) and recipes (the list of ingredients and steps themselves) cannot be copyrighted.</p> <p>On the other side, ideas cannot be copyrighted either. Only creative media in a fixed form is eligible for copyright.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="row s-lg-row"><div id="s-lg-col-127" class="col-md-12"><div class="s-lg-col-boxes s-lg-box-special"><div id="s-lg-box-wrapper-32533353" class="s-lg-box-wrapper-32533353"><div id="s-lg-box-27663302-container" class="s-lib-box-container"> <div id="s-lg-box-27663302" class="s-lib-box s-lib-box-std s-lib-floating-box"> <div id="s-lg-box-collapse-27663302" > <div class="s-lib-box-content s-lib-floating-box-content"> <div id="s-lg-content-64163064" class=" clearfix"> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Information contained on this website is educational in nature and is not to be construed as legal advice.</strong></p> <hr /> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" loading="lazy" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width:0" /></a><br /> Cornell University Library's Copyright Services LibGuide is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</a>. Please attribute Cornell University in any reuse.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div></div></div></div> <ul id="s-lg-page-prevnext" class="pager s-lib-hide"><li class="previous"></li><li class="next"><a href="https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/licenses-oa"><strong>Next:</strong> Licenses and Open Access >></a></li></ul> </div> </div> </div>   <div id="s-lib-footer-public" class="s-lib-footer footer container s-lib-side-borders" role="contentinfo" aria-label="Footer content and links"> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-meta" class="pad-top-sm pad-left-med clearfix"> <ul id="s-lg-guide-header-attributes" class=""> <li id="s-lg-guide-header-updated" class="s-lg-h-separator"> <span class="s-lg-guide-label">Last Updated:</span> <span class="s-lg-text-greyout">Jan 24, 2025 11:41 AM</span> </li> <li class="s-lg-h-separator"> <span class="s-lg-guide-label">URL:</span> <span class="s-lg-text-greyout">https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright</span> </li> <li id="s-lg-guide-print-url"> <a href="javascript: window.print();"><span class="fa fa-print" aria-hidden="true" title="Print Page"></span> Print Page</a> </li> </ul> <div id="s-lib-footer-login-link" class="pull-right pad-right-med"> <a href="https://cornell.libapps.com/libapps/login.php?site_id=45&target64=L2xpYmd1aWRlcy9hZG1pbl9jLnBocD9nPTk5OTM3NiZwPTg2MjAyMTY=">Login to LibApps</a>. </div> </div> <div class="pad-bottom-sm clearfix"> <div id="s-lib-footer-support-link" class="pull-right pad-right-med"></div> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-subjects" class="pad-top-sm pad-left-med pad-right-med pull-left"> </div> <div id="s-lg-guide-header-tags" class="pad-top-sm pad-left-med"> </div> </div> </div>   <div id="s-lib-scroll-top" title="Back to Top"> <span class="fa-stack fa-lg"> <span class="fa fa-square-o fa-stack-2x" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="fa fa-angle-double-up fa-stack-1x" style="position:relative; bottom:2px;" aria-hidden="true"></span> </span> </div>   <div id="s-lib-alert" title="" aria-atomic="true"> <div id="s-lib-alert-content"></div> </div>   <div class="container"> <div style="text-align: center" class="footer" role="contentinfo" aria-labelledby="web-compliance-link"> <strong><a href="https://www.library.cornell.edu/web-accessibility" id="web-compliance-link">Web Accessibility Assistance</a></strong> </div> </div>   <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-5TP60MKH5W"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-5TP60MKH5W', { 'cookie_domain': '.guides.library.cornell.edu' }); </script></body></html>