The Gee’s Bend quilters have a rich creative history. Through educational outreach from various organizations, the women of Gee’s Bend have learned about copyright and their intellectual property rights.
Two years ago, the United States joined the Marrakesh Treaty, which has proven to be a success.
The following is a guest post by Annette James, a program coordinator at the U.S. Copyright Office. As I reflect upon the 2021 Black History Month theme, The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, the word family captures a wealth of emotions. It calls up memories of childhood and retrospection on lessons learned. It brings […]
When Justice Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020, she left a lasting and wide-ranging legacy, most notably in her lifelong fight for women’s rights and gender equality. Perhaps a lesser-known aspect of her influence is her impact on copyright law.
On January 1, a new raft of creative works of expression entered the public domain in the United States. The term of copyright has ended for works published or registered in 1925, which now join pre-1924 works already in the public domain and available for use by everyone without restrictions. Expiration of copyright term is […]
Let’s face it. This past year has been tough in many ways. For the music community, this has been especially true. There is one bright spot. On January 1, 2021, big updates were made to the way songwriters can get paid when their music is played online via interactive streaming and download services. Specifically, the […]
The following is a guest post by Marilyn Creswell, 2020 Librarian-in-Residence for the U.S. Copyright Office. Sojourner Truth was a preacher, abolitionist, and suffragist. A lesser known fact is that she was also a copyright innovator. Truth was born in New York around 1797. Enslaved during her youth and early adulthood, she eventually gained freedom […]
Whether you’re teaching young students just starting out or preparing older students for life beyond high school, incorporating copyright concepts into your lesson plans can help engage a student’s creativity and foster an appreciation for the importance of protecting creative works. To get you started, here are six concepts that will help students better understand copyright.
The following is a guest post by Robert J. Kasunic, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice. This week, the Copyright Office released its registration processing times for the second half of fiscal 2020 (April–September 2020). We issue processing statistics twice during the fiscal year, so this latest update reflects registration […]
A summary of some of the protections and guidance copyright law provides to those participating in STEAM-related activities.