Research Guides: Copyright Basics: Resources and References

Copyright

U.S. Copyright Office
The U.S. Copyright Office website provides information about the basics of copyright law, how to register your works, copyright news, and much more.
Copyright Mind Map
Created by law professor, William Fisher, to visually contextualize copyright law.
Copyright Crash Course
Comprehensive copyright tutorial created by the University of Texas Libraries.
Owning and Using Scholarship
This book, written by Kevin L. Smith, JD and published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, is a handbook for teachers and researchers navigating intellectual property issues in higher educaiton.

Fair Use Checklist
Created by Kenneth D. Crews at Columbia University Libraries, this checklist helps assess fair use.
Fair Use Index
The U.S. Copyright Office's fair use index provides an in depth explanation of the four factors used to evaluate fair use.
Fair Use Cases
Stanford Libraries' summaries of fair use cases are a great way to better understand how courts have historically assessed fair use.
Fair Use Library
The Center for Media and Social Impact provides a library of information on fair use, including best practice and teaching resources.

Creative Commons
Creative Commons website with information about licensing and using CC licensed works.
CC Search Portal
Creative Commons search portal for finding CC licensed work across multiple platforms.
CC Lisence Chooser
Creative Commons tool for selecting the appropriat CC license for your work.
Attribution Builder
Open Washington's tool for building CC attributions.
Copyright Term and the Public Domain
Cornell University Library's guide provides useful charts to help determine when a work has entered the public domain.
Public Domain Review
An online journal and not-for-profit project dedicated to the exploration of works in the public domain.

Respondent Information
Information for CCB respondents, including more details on opting out, responding to a claim, and making a counter claim.
U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright Claims Board
The U.S. Copyright Office's information page regarding the CCB, including links to further resources.
CCB Handbook
An in depth for filing, responding to and opting out of claims, seeking assistance with your claim, and more.

U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
The U.S. Copyright Office's webpage for information related to AI, including a policy statement, reports, decisions, announcements, and more.
Copyright Registration Guidance
U.S. Copyright Office's statement of policy regarding the registration of works using AI generated elements.
Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law
A breakdown of the current issues surrounding AI and U.S. copyright law.

Crews, K. D. (n.d.). Fair use. Columbia University Libraries. https://copyright.columbia.edu/basics/fair-use.html

Fakouri, M. (2024, September 16). Copyright introduction. University of Washington Libraries. https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/copyright/introduction

Stim, R. (2025). Welcome to the public domain. Stanford Libraries. https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/

U.S. Copyright Office. (n.d.). What is copyright. https://www.copyright.gov/what-is-copyright/

U.S. Copyright Office. (2025, January). Copyright and artificial intelligence: Part 2: Copyrightability. https://www.copyright.gov/ai/Copyright-and-Artificial-Intelligence-Part-2-Copyrightability-Report.pdf

U.S. Copyright Office. (2025, February). U.S. Copyright office fair use index. https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/

Zirpoli, C. T. (2023, September 29). Generative artificial intelligence and copyright law. Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB10922