Copyright Information
Two portions of the U.S. Code are frequently cited as pertaining to copyright law. The first is Title 17 USC Sections 106 through 110. This is commonly known as the Copyright Act of 1976 and has governed the use of copyrighted materials in libraries and schools for years. Most librarians and educators are familiar with the provisions of this law and comfortable with them. However, some of the provisions are complex and merit closer examination:
The second is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which was signed into law in October 1998. This act was an attempt to bring existing copyright law into the digital age and into line with international copyright laws. This is a much newer law and not all of it has been implemented yet, so much of it is unfamiliar and still uncertain. The library/education community is not comfortable with much that this new act proposes. In fact, there are many challenging issues facing librarians. The future of library service in the electronic arena is being determined now.
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Last update 07/13/2011 Sue Chen chens@scc.losrios.edu