It is important that CGIN members respect the copyright provisions of materials made available via the CGIN web site. Not doing so will serve as a serious dis-incentive to members to share materials.
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the U.S. to the authors or creators of materials. Copyright can apply to literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of a copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:
Copyright protection exists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright.
Mere ownership of a book, manuscript, painting, document, or any other material does not give the possessor the copyright. The law provides that transfer of ownership of any copyrighted material does not of itself convey any rights in the copyright.
No publication or registration is required to secure a copyright for items. Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy for the first time. Materials may be registered, which provides additional protection to the copyright holder.
Further information is available at www.lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html.
Copyrighted materials are clearly marked with a large red copyright symbol at the top of each page. CGIN contributors and users have two options regarding copyrighted materials:
CGIN members can stipulate either of the above provisions on materials they are sharing with others via the web site. All CGIN members agree to honor these rules as users by joining CGIN.
For further information, contact the CGIN office.