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Copyright
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opyright insures that the person who created something -- such
as a book, photo, or piece of music -- is reimbursed for the intellectual
work. If there were no copyright protection, there would be
no economic incentive to create these works. |
A copyright
is a set of legal rights that an author has over the work for a
limited period of time. Copyright covers everything from using images
or sound files from the Internet to photocopying.
Most information
is protected by copyright. The exception is work that is in the
"public domain," which can be reproduced or used by anyone.
However, you still must credit the author. Some examples of public
domain sources:
| Public
Domain Sources |
Examples |
| Publications
of the U.S. Government |
U.S.
laws and other publications of the Federal government, the U.S.
Constitution |
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Copyright has been waived by the author |
Software
called freeware |
| Works
on which the copyright has expired |
Works
by William Shakespeare |
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