America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures: the First 100 Beyond Memory Securing Our Dance Heritage Sustaining America's Dance Legacy Dance Videotapes at Risk A Copyright Primer for the Dance Community Cataloging Guidelines Processing Procedures Manual for Dance and Other Performing Arts Collections Learning Applications to Document Dance Magnetic Storage and Tape Handling

HOW LONG DOES COPYRIGHT PROTECTION LAST?

For works created after 1978, as well as for most works created but not copyrighted before 1978, copyright protection lasts through the lifetime of the author/creator, plus 70 years. If such a work was created “for hire,” copyright extends to 95 years from the date it was “published” or 120 years from creation, whichever comes first.

In most cases, works published before 1923 are in the public domain, meaning anyone may use them without permission. U.S. works published before 1964 and not renewed with the Copyright Office are also in the public domain. A dancer, therefore, could create a “derivative work” based on such works, without seeking permission.

In other cases, those wishing to use an original work should seek permission directly from the copyright owner. To locate an owner, search for works registered after 1978 through the Copyright Office web site. Registration records for earlier works are available in the Copyright Office Card Catalog. For additional help in determining the copyright status of a work, the Copyright Office will conduct a search of its records for $75/hour.

CONCLUSION

Although issues of copyright law are extremely complex and often confusing, it is imperative that we educate ourselves about their fundamentals, to become effective advocates for ourselves, for our fellow dancers, and for other artists. We also must try to keep abreast of the latest court decisions and of copyright legislation that is pending in Congress. The outcomes of legal proceedings that question the ownership or use of works in the performing arts have serious implications for the entire dance community. Our collective voices must be heard on Capitol Hill to protect the dance legacy we cherish.

RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

“Copyright and Fair Use,” Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, CA.
Information on primary materials, current legislation, resources on the internet, and overview of copyright law.
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/

Creative Commons
Online copyright licensing; helps people dedicate their creative works to the public domain in order to increase the amount of online raw source material.
http://creativecommons.org

Friends of Active Copyright Education (FA©E), an initiative of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
Provides a broad range of resources to foster and support copyright awareness.
www.law.duke.edu/copyright/face/

United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Information on copyright basics, searching copyright records, registering a work, copyright law and policy, licensing, and publications.
http://www.loc.gov/copyright
Telephone: 202-707-3000

“Copyright Crash Course,” UTSDL Website and Resource Support, Digital Libraries Service Division, The General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin.
University of Texas copyright policy, including copyright basics such as fair use, licensing resources, and getting permissions.
http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm
Telephone: 512-495-4109 or 1-877-255-3987