I see so many questions on this forum about copyright issues, that I thought it would be beneficial to post a thread with links to useful sites where individuals can learn about copyright laws. I am not a lawyer, but this is a pet subject, having once had to help a relative recover royalties on a copyrighted book. There are so many myths and misinterpretations floating around out there, you really have to do your research. The best thing to do in any situation where you feel your copyright has been infringed, is to consult an intellectual property lawyer. In the mean time, here are some resources on-line that I think are helpful:

www.copyright.gov This is your number one source. You can read the actual law, learn how to register works, search copyright records, and keep up-to-date on changes in the law. This is for the United States of course. I assume most major nations will have similar governmental resources online.

www.rightsforartists.com I'm not sure who publishs this site, but it appears up-to-date, and has a good FAQ section, definitions of important terms, and sample letters you can use such as Cease and Desist notices.

www.copyright.cornell.edu This is a resource intended for the Cornell University faculty, staff and students, but I found it very helpful with good links to other sites, sample check lists to determine fair use, articles on copyright issues, charts to determine copyright expiration, etc.

www.google.com Just do a search on any copyright topic and you will find links to universities, law firms, magazine articles, forums, etc. Just be careful with what you read on-line, some of it is outdated, and particularly when you are in forums, much of what you read may be opinion or myth.

http://www.photoattorney.com/


http://www.photoattorney.com/2007/07...your-ears.html


http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/ht...1----000-.html


I hope this helps.

Nice job!

So many questions on this subject are repetitive and yet the answers are really so simple.

I've made your post a "sticky" in hopes that more dGrinners find it easily.