Copyright/Access

ARL, Office of Scholarly Communication: Copyright Information and Resources - This page from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) contains a list of resources dealing with copyright and intellectual property issues.

Copyright Issues Relevant to Digital Preservation and Dissemination of Pre-1972 Commercial Sound Recordings by Libraries and Archives - This report addresses the question of what libraries and archives are legally empowered to do to preserve and make accessible for research their holdings of pre-1972 commercial recordings, the large aural legacy that is not protected by federal copyright. As the first in-depth analysis by a nationally known expert in copyright law, this report will also be a timely and authoritative aid to the many librarians and archivists who face decisions daily about how to establish priorities for sound preservation.

Copyright Website - Online Copyright Registration Service and Copyright Information Portal - Launched in 1995, the Copyright Website strives to lubricate the machinations of information delivery by providing transparency to a particularly opaque and obtuse area of intellectual property. Whether you want to protect your own work by using the Copyright Wizard to file a Copyright Registration with the US Copyright Office, or check out the legal hijinks of the movie, recording and software industries, this is the place.

Crash Course in Copyright - This site by the University of Texas system includes background information on copyright, outside sources, and a tutorial.

MLA: Copyright for Music Librarians - This resource from the Music Library Association contains the following sections: FAQs - scenarios and guidance about general copyright provisions, reserves, preservation, performance rights, issues for composers and authors, and video in the library; Current Issues - information about pending legislation, news, and litigation and its impact on music libraries; Guidelines - full text of various guidelines relevant to music and education as adopted by professional organizations; including the Music Library Association's statements on the Copyright Law and Fair Use in Music and Digital Transmission of Electronic Reserves; and Resources - selection of virtual and tangible copyright resources.

Survey of Reissue of US Recordings - The purpose of this study by Tim Brooks was to determine the legal accessibility of sound
recordings published in the United States. The survey was designed to quantify
the degree to which rights holders of historical sound recordings have made
available, either directly or through licensees, past recordings that they
control.

US Copyright Code - This link from Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute takes you directly to the US code (title 17) dealing with copyright.