Copyright Basics

• Copyright is automatic. The moment an original expression of an author/creator becomes fixed in a tangible medium, the author/creator has exclusive rights.
• Since 1989, no copyright symbol (©) is necessary, although it can be helpful for users to see the symbol with the year created and the copyright owner (© 2023, John Smith)
• As an author/creator, you are not required to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office (but you can for a fee)

Always assume a work you want to use is copyrighted.

• Copyright is limited and depends on when the work was created, and which amendments or updates apply. Since the Copyright Act of 1976 went into effect in 1978, generally, works are copyrighted for 70 years after the author’s death.
• It can be difficult to ascertain when copyrights expire especially because they can be renewed and/or transferred. Consult the U.S. Copyright Office FAQ: How Long Does Copyright Protection Last? or Cornell University’s Copyright Term guide.

Try searching the Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) which contains records since 1978 from the official Copyright Public Catalog.