Prepared by George Davis.
Copyright Law of the United States of America
and
Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the *United States Code*
Circular 92
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+ The Constitutional Provision Respecting Copyright + Preface + Chapter 1 - Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright + Chapter 2 - Copyright Ownership and Transfer + Chapter 3 - Duration of Copyright + Chapter 4 - Copyright Notice, Deposit, and Registration + Chapter 5 - Copyright Infringement and Remedies + Chapter 6 - Manufacturing Requirements and Importation + Chapter 7 - Copyright Office + Chapter 8 - Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panels + Chapter 9 - Protection of Semiconductor Chip Products + Chapter 10 - Digital Audio Recording Devices and Media + Chapter 11 - Sound Recordings and Music Videos + Chapter 12 - Copyright Protection and Management Systems + Chapter 13 - Protection of Original Designs + Appendix I. Transitional and Supplementary Provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976 + Appendix II. Berne Convention Implementation Act of 1988 + Appendix III. Uruguay Round Agreements Act + Appendix IV. GATT/Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Agreement, Part II, Section 6: Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits + Appendix V. Additional Provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act + Appendix VI. Definition of "Berne Convention Work" + Appendix VII. Selected Provisions of the U.S. Code Relating to Copyright
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The Constitutional Provision Respecting Copyright
The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries
(United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8)
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Preface
This volume contains the text of title 17 of the *United States Code*, including all amendments enacted through the end of the second session of the 106th Congress in 2000. It includes the Copyright Act of 1976 and all subsequent amendments to copyright law; the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984, as amended; and the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act, as amended. The Copyright Office is responsible for registering claims under all three.
The United States copyright law is contained in chapters 1 through 8 and 10 through 12 of title 17 of the *United States Code.* The Copyright Act of 1976, which provides the basic framework for the current copyright law, was enacted on October 19, 1976 as Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat. 2541. Listed below in chronological order of their enactment are subsequent amendments to copyright law.
Chapters 9 and 13 of title 17 contain statutory design protection that is independent of copyright protection. Chapter 9 of title 17 is the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 (SCPA), as amended. On November 8, 1984, the SCPA was enacted as title III of Pub. L. No. 98-620, 98 Stat. 3335, 3347. Chapter 13 of title 17 is the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act (VHDPA). It was enacted on October 28, 1998 as title V of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Pub. L. No. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2905. Subsequent amendments to the SCPA and the VHDPA are also included in the list below, in chronological order of their enactment.
For transitional and supplementary copyright provisions that were enacted as part of the Copyright Act of 1976 and the DMCA, but which do not amend title 17, see the Appendix.
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