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US Code, Title 17 (1995 edition)
US Code, Title 17 (1995 edition) — COPYRIGHTS
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<title>U.S.C. Title 17 - COPYRIGHTS
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<span style="font-weight:bold;font-size:12pt;">17 U.S.C. </span><br/>
<span style="font-size:10pt">United States Code, 1995 Edition</span><br/>
<span style="font-size:10pt">Title 17 - COPYRIGHTS</span><br/>
<span style="font-size:10pt">From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, <a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a></span><br/><br/>
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<h1 class="usc-title-head">TITLE 17—COPYRIGHTS</h1>
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<p class="usc-title-ital-spanner">This title was enacted by act July 30, 1947, ch. 391, 61 Stat. 652, and was revised in its entirety by Pub. L. 94–553, title I, §101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2541</p>
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<div class="analysis">
<div><div class="analysis-head-left">Chap.</div><div class="analysis-head-right">Sec.</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">1.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">101</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">2.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Copyright Ownership and Transfer</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">201</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">3.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Duration of Copyright</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">301</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">4.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Copyright Notice, Deposit, and Registration</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">401</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">5.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Copyright Infringement and Remedies</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">501</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">6.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Manufacturing Requirement <sup><a href="#_1_target" name="_1">1</a></sup> and Importation</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">601</div></div>
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<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">7.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Copyright Office</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">701</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">8.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Copyright Royalty Tribunal <sup><a href="#_1_target" name="_1">1</a></sup></div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">801</div></div>
<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">9.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Protection of semiconductor chip products <sup><a href="#_2_target" name="_2">2</a></sup></div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">901</div></div>
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<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">10.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Digital Audio Recording Devices and Media</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right"><sup><a href="#_3_target" name="_3">3</a></sup> 1001</div></div>
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<div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-left">11.</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-center">Sound Recordings and Music Videos</div><div class="three-column-analysis-style-content-right">1101</div></div>
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<h4 class="note-head">Amendments</h4>
<p class="note-body">1994—Pub. L. 103–465, title V, §512(b), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4974, added item relating to chapter 11.</p>
<p class="note-body">1984—Pub. L. 98–620, title III, §303, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3356, added item relating to chapter 9.</p>
<table class="uscdispo2col" cellspacing="0" width="700"><caption><cap-smallcap>Table I</cap-smallcap><br />This Table lists the sections of former Title 17, Copyrights, and indicates the sections of Title 17, as enacted in 1947, which covered similar and related subject matter.</caption>
<tr><th id="row0col0"><em>Title 17 Former Sections </em></th><th id="row0col1"><em>Title 17 1947 Revision Sections </em></th></tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">1</td>
<td class="right">1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">2</td>
<td class="right">2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">3</td>
<td class="right">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">4</td>
<td class="right">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">5</td>
<td class="right">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">6</td>
<td class="right">7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">7</td>
<td class="right">8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">8</td>
<td class="right">9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">9</td>
<td class="right">10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">10</td>
<td class="right">11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">11</td>
<td class="right">12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">12</td>
<td class="right">13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">13</td>
<td class="right">14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">14</td>
<td class="right">15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">15</td>
<td class="right">16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">16</td>
<td class="right">17</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">17</td>
<td class="right">18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">18</td>
<td class="right">19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">19</td>
<td class="right">20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">20</td>
<td class="right">21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">21</td>
<td class="right">22</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">22</td>
<td class="right">23</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">23</td>
<td class="right">24</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">24</td>
<td class="right">Rep.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">25</td>
<td class="right">101</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">26</td>
<td class="right">102</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">27</td>
<td class="right">103</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">28</td>
<td class="right">104</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">29</td>
<td class="right">105</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">30</td>
<td class="right">106</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">31</td>
<td class="right">107</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">32</td>
<td class="right">108</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">33</td>
<td class="right">109</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">34</td>
<td class="right">110</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">35</td>
<td class="right">111</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">36</td>
<td class="right">112</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">37</td>
<td class="right">113</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">38</td>
<td class="right">114</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">39</td>
<td class="right">115</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">40</td>
<td class="right">116</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">41</td>
<td class="right">27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">42</td>
<td class="right">28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">43</td>
<td class="right">29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">44</td>
<td class="right">30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">45</td>
<td class="right">31</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">46</td>
<td class="right">32</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">47</td>
<td class="right">201</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">48</td>
<td class="right">202</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">49</td>
<td class="right">203</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">50</td>
<td class="right">204</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">51</td>
<td class="right">205</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">52</td>
<td class="right">206</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">53</td>
<td class="right">207</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">54</td>
<td class="right">208</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">55</td>
<td class="right">209</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">56</td>
<td class="right">210</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">57</td>
<td class="right">211</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">58</td>
<td class="right">212</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">59</td>
<td class="right">213</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">60</td>
<td class="right">214</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">61</td>
<td class="right">215</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">62</td>
<td class="right">26</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">63</td>
<td class="right">6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">64</td>
<td class="right">6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">65</td>
<td class="right">25</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table class="uscdispo2col" cellspacing="0" width="700"><caption><cap-smallcap>Table II</cap-smallcap><br />This Table lists the sections of former Title 17, Copyrights, and indicates the sections of Title 17, as revised in 1976, which cover similar and related subject matter.</caption>
<tr><th id="row0col0"><em>Title 17 1947 Revision Sections </em></th><th id="row0col1"><em>Title 17 New Sections </em></th></tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">1</td>
<td class="right">106, 116</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">2</td>
<td class="right">301</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">3</td>
<td class="right">102, 103</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">4</td>
<td class="right">102</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">5</td>
<td class="right">102</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">6</td>
<td class="right">102</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">7</td>
<td class="right">103</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">8</td>
<td class="right">104, 105, 303</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">9</td>
<td class="right">104</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">10</td>
<td class="right">401</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">11</td>
<td class="right">410</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">12</td>
<td class="right">408</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">13</td>
<td class="right">407, 411</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">14</td>
<td class="right">407</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">15</td>
<td class="right">407</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">16</td>
<td class="right">601</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">17</td>
<td class="right">407</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">18</td>
<td class="right">407, 506</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">19</td>
<td class="right">401</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">20</td>
<td class="right">401, 402</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">21</td>
<td class="right">405</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">22</td>
<td class="right">601</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">23</td>
<td class="right">601</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">24</td>
<td class="right">203, 301 et seq.<!-- PDFPage:2 --></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">25</td>
<td class="right">301 et seq.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">26</td>
<td class="right">101</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">27</td>
<td class="right">109, 202</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">28</td>
<td class="right">201, 204</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">29</td>
<td class="right">204</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">30</td>
<td class="right">205</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">31</td>
<td class="right">205</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">32</td>
<td class="right">201</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">101</td>
<td class="right">412, 501–504</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">102</td>
<td class="right">Rep. See T. 28 §1338</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">103</td>
<td class="right">Rep. See F.R. Civ. Proc.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">104</td>
<td class="right">110, 506</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">105</td>
<td class="right">506</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">106</td>
<td class="right">602</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">107</td>
<td class="right">602</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">108</td>
<td class="right">603</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">109</td>
<td class="right">603</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">110</td>
<td class="right">Rep. See T. 28 §1338</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">111</td>
<td class="right">Rep. See T. 28 §1400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">112</td>
<td class="right">502</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">113</td>
<td class="right">502</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">114</td>
<td class="right">502</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">115</td>
<td class="right">507</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">116</td>
<td class="right">505</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">201</td>
<td class="right">701(a)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">202</td>
<td class="right">701(a)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">203</td>
<td class="right">708(c)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">204</td>
<td class="right">Rep.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">205</td>
<td class="right">701(c)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">206</td>
<td class="right">701(b)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">207</td>
<td class="right">702</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">208</td>
<td class="right">705</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">209</td>
<td class="right">407, 410</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">210</td>
<td class="right">707</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">211</td>
<td class="right">707</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">212</td>
<td class="right">705</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">213</td>
<td class="right">704</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">214</td>
<td class="right">704</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">215</td>
<td class="right">708(a), (b)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="left">216</td>
<td class="right">703</td>
</tr>
</table>
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<h4 class="note-head">Prior Provisions</h4>
<p class="note-body">Title 17, as enacted by act July 30, 1947, ch. 391, 61 Stat. 652, consisting of sections 1 to 32, 101 to 116, and 201 to 216, as amended through 1976, and section 203, as amended by Pub. L. 95–94, title IV, §406(a), Aug. 5, 1977, 91 Stat. 682, terminated Jan. 1, 1978.</p>
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<h4 class="note-head">Effective Date</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 102 of Pub. L. 94–553, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2598, provided that: “This Act [enacting this title and section 170 of Title 2, The Congress, amending section 131 of Title 2, section 290e of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, section 2318 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, section 543 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code, section 1498 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, sections 3203 and 3206 of Title 39, Postal Service, and sections 505 and 2117 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents, and enacting provisions set out as notes below and under sections 104, 115, 304, 401, 407, 410, and 501 of this title] becomes effective on January 1, 1978, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, including provisions of the first section of this Act. The provisions of sections 118, 304(b), and chapter 8 of title 17, as amended by the first section of this Act, take effect upon enactment of this Act [Oct. 19, 1976].”</p>
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<h4 class="note-head">Separability</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 115 of Pub. L. 94–553, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2602, provided that: “If any provision of title 17 [this title], as amended by the first section of this Act, is declared unconstitutional, the validity of the remainder of this title is not affected.”</p>
<h4 class="note-head">Authorization of Appropriations</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 114 of Pub. L. 94–553, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2602, provided that: “There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such funds as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act [this title].”</p>
<h4 class="note-head">Lost and Expired Copyrights; Recording Rights</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 103 of Pub. L. 94–553, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2599, provided that: “This Act [enacting this title] does not provide copyright protection for any work that goes into the public domain before January 1, 1978. The exclusive rights, as provided by section 106 of title 17 as amended by the first section of this Act, to reproduce a work in phonorecords and to distribute phonorecords of the work, do not extend to any nondramatic musical work copyrighted before July 1, 1909.”</p>
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<h4 class="note-head">Cross References</h4>
<p class="note-body">Exclusive jurisdiction of Federal courts over actions and proceedings under copyright laws, see section 1338 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.</p>
<p class="note-body">Power of the Congress to regulate copyrights, see Const., Art. I, §8, cl. 8.</p>
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<h4 class="note-head">Title Referred to in Other Sections</h4>
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<p class="note-body">This title is referred to in title 2 section 179d; title 11 section 101; title 18 sections 2319, 2319A; title 19 section 1337; title 20 sections 1125a, 6622, 8673; title 26 section 543; title 47 sections 542, 544, 605.</p>
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<h3 class="chapter-head"><strong>CHAPTER 1—SUBJECT MATTER AND SCOPE OF COPYRIGHT</strong></h3>
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<div class="analysis">
<div><div class="analysis-head-left">Sec.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">101.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Definitions.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">102.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Subject matter of copyright: In general.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">103.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Subject matter of copyright: Compilations and derivative works.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">104.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Subject matter of copyright: National origin.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">104A.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Copyright in restored works.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">105.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">106.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Exclusive rights in copyrighted works.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">106A.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Rights of certain authors to attribution and integrity.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">107.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">108.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Reproduction by libraries and archives.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">109.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Effect of transfer of particular copy or phonorecord.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">110.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Exemption of certain performances and displays.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">111.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Secondary transmissions.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">112.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Ephemeral recordings.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">113.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights in pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">114.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights in sound recordings.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">115.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights in nondramatic musical works: Compulsory license for making and distributing phonorecords.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">116.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Negotiated licenses for public performances by means of coin-operated phonorecord players.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">[116A.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Renumbered.]</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">117.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights: Use in conjunction with computers and similar information systems.<sup><a href="#CHAPTER1_1_target" name="CHAPTER1_1">1</a></sup></div></div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<div class="analysis">
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">118.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights: Use of certain works in connection with noncommercial broadcasting.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">119.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Limitations on exclusive rights: Secondary transmissions of superstations and network stations for private home viewing.</div></div>
<div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-left">120.</div><div class="two-column-analysis-style-content-right">Scope of exclusive rights in architectural works.</div></div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<!-- field-end:analysis -->
<!-- field-start:notes -->
<!-- field-start:amendment-note -->
<h4 class="note-head">Amendments</h4>
<p class="note-body">1994—Pub. L. 103–465, title V, §514(c), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4981, substituted “Copyright in restored works” for “Copyright in certain motion pictures” in item 104A.</p>
<!-- PDFPage:3 --><p class="note-body">1993—Pub. L. 103–198, §3(a), (b)(2), Dec. 17, 1993, 107 Stat. 2309, renumbered item 116A as 116 and struck out former item 116 “Scope of exclusive rights in nondramatic musical works: Compulsory licenses for public performances by means of coin-operated phonorecord players.”</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 103–182, title III, §334(b), Dec. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 2115, added item 104A.</p>
<p class="note-body">1990—Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, §603(b), title VII, §704(b)(1), Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5130, 5134, added items 106A and 120.</p>
<p class="note-body">1988—Pub. L. 100–667, title II, §202(6), Nov. 16, 1988, 102 Stat. 3958, added item 119.</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 100–568, §4(b)(2), Oct. 31, 1988, 102 Stat. 2857, substituted “Compulsory licenses for public performances” for “Public performances” in item 116 and added item 116A.</p>
<!-- field-end:amendment-note -->
<!-- field-end:notes -->
<!-- field-start:secref -->
<h4 class="note-head">Chapter Referred to in Other Sections</h4>
<!-- field-end:secref -->
<!-- field-start:sectionreferredto -->
<p class="note-body">This chapter is referred to in section 912 of this title.</p>
<!-- field-end:sectionreferredto -->
<!-- field-start:footnote -->
<p class="footnote"><a href="#_1" name="_1_target"><sup>1</sup> So in original. Does not conform to chapter heading.</a></p>
<!-- field-end:footnote -->
<!-- field-start:footnote -->
<p class="footnote"><a href="#_2" name="_2_target"><sup>2</sup> So in original. Probably should be capitalized.</a></p>
<!-- field-end:footnote -->
<!-- field-start:footnote -->
<p class="footnote"><a href="#_3" name="_3_target"><sup>3</sup> Editorially supplied. Chapter 10 added by Pub. L. 102–563 without corresponding amendment of title analysis.</a></p>
<!-- field-end:footnote -->
<!-- field-start:footnote -->
<p class="footnote"><a href="#CHAPTER1_1" name="CHAPTER1_1_target"><sup>1</sup> So in original. Does not conform to section catchline.</a></p>
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<!-- expcite:TITLE 17-COPYRIGHTS!@!CHAPTER 1-SUBJECT MATTER AND SCOPE OF COPYRIGHT!@!Sec. 101 -->
<!-- field-start:head -->
<h3 class="section-head">§101. Definitions</h3>
<!-- field-end:head -->
<!-- field-start:statute -->
<p class="statutory-body">Except as otherwise provided in this title, as used in this title, the following terms and their variant forms mean the following:</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">An “anonymous work” is a work on the copies or phonorecords of which no natural person is identified as author.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">An “architectural work” is the design of a building as embodied in any tangible medium of expression, including a building, architectural plans, or drawings. The work includes the overall form as well as the arrangement and composition of spaces and elements in the design, but does not include individual standard features.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Audiovisual works” are works that consist of a series of related images which are intrinsically intended to be shown by the use of machines, or devices such as projectors, viewers, or electronic equipment, together with accompanying sounds, if any, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as films or tapes, in which the works are embodied.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The “Berne Convention” is the Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, signed at Berne, Switzerland, on September 9, 1886, and all acts, protocols, and revisions thereto.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A work is a “Berne Convention work” if—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(1) in the case of an unpublished work, one or more of the authors is a national of a nation adhering to the Berne Convention, or in the case of a published work, one or more of the authors is a national of a nation adhering to the Berne Convention on the date of first publication;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(2) the work was first published in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention, or was simultaneously first published in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention and in a foreign nation that does not adhere to the Berne Convention;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(3) in the case of an audiovisual work—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(A) if one or more of the authors is a legal entity, that author has its headquarters in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(B) if one or more of the authors is an individual, that author is domiciled, or has his or her habitual residence in, a nation adhering to the Berne Convention;</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(4) in the case of a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work that is incorporated in a building or other structure, the building or structure is located in a nation adhering to the Berne Convention; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(5) in the case of an architectural work embodied in a building, such building is erected in a country adhering to the Berne Convention.</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-block-1em">For purposes of paragraph (1), an author who is domiciled in or has his or her habitual residence in, a nation adhering to the Berne Convention is considered to be a national of that nation. For purposes of paragraph (2), a work is considered to have been simultaneously published in two or more nations if its dates of publication are within 30 days of one another.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The “best edition” of a work is the edition, published in the United States at any time before the date of deposit, that the Library of Congress determines to be most suitable for its purposes.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A person's “children” are that person's immediate offspring, whether legitimate or not, and any children legally adopted by that person.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “collective work” is a work, such as a periodical issue, anthology, or encyclopedia, in which a number of contributions, constituting separate and independent works in themselves, are assembled into a collective whole.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “compilation” is a work formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that are selected, coordinated, or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship. The term “compilation” includes collective works.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Copies” are material objects, other than phonorecords, in which a work is fixed by any method now known or later developed, and from which the work can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. The term “copies” includes the material object, other than a phonorecord, in which the work is first fixed.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Copyright owner”, with respect to any one of the exclusive rights comprised in a copyright, refers to the owner of that particular right.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The “country of origin” of a Berne Convention work, for purposes of section 411, is the United States if—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(1) in the case of a published work, the work is first published—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(A) in the United States;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(B) simultaneously in the United States and another nation or nations adhering to the Berne Convention, whose law grants a term of copyright protection that is the same as or longer than the term provided in the United States;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(C) simultaneously in the United States and a foreign nation that does not adhere to the Berne Convention; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-3em">(D) in a foreign nation that does not adhere to the Berne Convention, and all of the authors of the work are nationals, domiciliaries, or habitual residents of, or in the case of an audiovisual work legal entities with headquarters in, the United States;</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<!-- PDFPage:4 --><p class="statutory-body-2em">(2) in the case of an unpublished work, all the authors of the work are nationals, domiciliaries, or habitual residents of the United States, or, in the case of an unpublished audiovisual work, all the authors are legal entities with headquarters in the United States; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(3) in the case of a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work incorporated in a building or structure, the building or structure is located in the United States.</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-block-1em">For the purposes of section 411, the “country of origin” of any other Berne Convention work is not the United States.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time; where a work is prepared over a period of time, the portion of it that has been fixed at any particular time constitutes the work as of that time, and where the work has been prepared in different versions, each version constitutes a separate work.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “derivative work” is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a “derivative work”.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “device”, “machine”, or “process” is one now known or later developed.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “digital transmission” is a transmission in whole or in part in a digital or other non-analog format.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">To “display” a work means to show a copy of it, either directly or by means of a film, slide, television image, or any other device or process or, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to show individual images nonsequentially.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A work is “fixed” in a tangible medium of expression when its embodiment in a copy or phonorecord, by or under the authority of the author, is sufficiently permanent or stable to permit it to be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated for a period of more than transitory duration. A work consisting of sounds, images, or both, that are being transmitted, is “fixed” for purposes of this title if a fixation of the work is being made simultaneously with its transmission.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The terms “including” and “such as” are illustrative and not limitative.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “joint work” is a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Literary works” are works, other than audiovisual works, expressed in words, numbers, or other verbal or numerical symbols or indicia, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as books, periodicals, manuscripts, phonorecords, film, tapes, disks, or cards, in which they are embodied.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Motion pictures” are audiovisual works consisting of a series of related images which, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion, together with accompanying sounds, if any.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">To “perform” a work means to recite, render, play, dance, or act it, either directly or by means of any device or process or, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovis- ual work, to show its images in any sequence or to make the sounds accompanying it audible.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Phonorecords” are material objects in which sounds, other than those accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work, are fixed by any method now known or later developed, and from which the sounds can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. The term “phonorecords” includes the material object in which the sounds are first fixed.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works” include two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of fine, graphic, and applied art, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, diagrams, models, and technical drawings, including architectural plans. Such works shall include works of artistic craftsmanship insofar as their form but not their mechanical or utilitarian aspects are concerned; the design of a useful article, as defined in this section, shall be considered a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work only if, and only to the extent that, such design incorporates pictorial, graphic, or sculptural features that can be identified separately from, and are capable of existing independently of, the utilitarian aspects of the article.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “pseudonymous work” is a work on the copies or phonorecords of which the author is identified under a fictitious name.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Publication” is the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display, constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Registration”, for purposes of sections 205(c)(2), 405, 406, 410(d), 411, 412, and 506(e), means a registration of a claim in the original or the renewed and extended term of copyright.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">To perform or display a work “publicly” means—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(1) to perform or display it at a place open to the public or at any place where a substantial number of persons outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintances is gathered; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(2) to transmit or otherwise communicate a performance or display of the work to a place specified by clause (1) or to the public, by means of any device or process, whether the members of the public capable of receiving the performance or display receive it in the same place or in separate places and at the same time or at different times.</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“Sound recordings” are works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spo<!-- PDFPage:5 -->ken, or other sounds, but not including the sounds accompanying a motion picture or other audiovisual work, regardless of the nature of the material objects, such as disks, tapes, or other phonorecords, in which they are embodied.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">“State” includes the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territories to which this title is made applicable by an Act of Congress.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “transfer of copyright ownership” is an assignment, mortgage, exclusive license, or any other conveyance, alienation, or hypothecation of a copyright or of any of the exclusive rights comprised in a copyright, whether or not it is limited in time or place of effect, but not including a nonexclusive license.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “transmission program” is a body of material that, as an aggregate, has been produced for the sole purpose of transmission to the public in sequence and as a unit.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">To “transmit” a performance or display is to communicate it by any device or process whereby images or sounds are received beyond the place from which they are sent.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, comprises the several States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the organized territories under the jurisdiction of the United States Government.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “useful article” is an article having an intrinsic utilitarian function that is not merely to portray the appearance of the article or to convey information. An article that is normally a part of a useful article is considered a “useful article”.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">The author's “widow” or “widower” is the author's surviving spouse under the law of the author's domicile at the time of his or her death, whether or not the spouse has later remarried.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “work of visual art” is—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(1) a painting, drawing, print, or sculpture, existing in a single copy, in a limited edition of 200 copies or fewer that are signed and consecutively numbered by the author, or, in the case of a sculpture, in multiple cast, carved, or fabricated sculptures of 200 or fewer that are consecutively numbered by the author and bear the signature or other identifying mark of the author; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(2) a still photographic image produced for exhibition purposes only, existing in a single copy that is signed by the author, or in a limited edition of 200 copies or fewer that are signed and consecutively numbered by the author.</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-block-1em">A work of visual art does not include—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(A)(i) any poster, map, globe, chart, technical drawing, diagram, model, applied art, motion picture or other audiovisual work, book, magazine, newspaper, periodical, data base, electronic information service, electronic publication, or similar publication;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(ii) any merchandising item or advertising, promotional, descriptive, covering, or packaging material or container;</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(iii) any portion or part of any item described in clause (i) or (ii);</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(B) any work made for hire; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(C) any work not subject to copyright protection under this title.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “work of the United States Government” is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties.</p>
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “work made for hire” is—</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or</p>
<p class="statutory-body-2em">(2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas, if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire. For the purpose of the foregoing sentence, a “supplementary work” is a work prepared for publication as a secondary adjunct to a work by another author for the purpose of introducing, concluding, illustrating, explaining, revising, commenting upon, or assisting in the use of the other work, such as forewords, afterwords, pictorial illustrations, maps, charts, tables, editorial notes, musical arrangements, answer material for tests, bibliographies, appendixes, and indexes, and an “instructional text” is a literary, pictorial, or graphic work prepared for publication and with the purpose of use in systematic instructional activities.</p>
<br class="Q04" />
<p class="statutory-body-1em">A “computer program” is a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result.</p>
<!-- field-end:statute -->
<!-- field-start:sourcecredit -->
<p class="source-credit">(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, §101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2541; Pub. L. 96–517, §10(a), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3028; Pub. L. 100–568, §4(a)(1), Oct. 31, 1988, 102 Stat. 2854; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, §602, title VII, §702, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5128, 5133; Pub. L. 102–307, title I, §102(b)(2), June 26, 1992, 106 Stat. 266; Pub. L. 102–563, §3(b), Oct. 28, 1992, 106 Stat. 4248; Pub. L. 104–39, §5(a), Nov. 1, 1995, 109 Stat. 348.)</p>
<!-- field-end:sourcecredit -->
<!-- field-start:notes -->
<!-- field-start:historicalandrevision-note -->
<h4 class="note-head">Historical and Revision Notes</h4>
I74house report no. 94–1476<p class="note-body">The significant definitions in this section will be mentioned or summarized in connection with the provisions to which they are most relevant.</p>
<!-- field-end:historicalandrevision-note -->
<!-- field-start:amendment-note -->
<h4 class="note-head">Amendments</h4>
<p class="note-body">1995—Pub. L. 104–39 inserted definition of “digital transmission”.</p>
<p class="note-body">1992—Pub. L. 102–563 substituted “Except as otherwise provided in this title, as used” for “As used” in introductory provisions.</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 102–307 inserted definition of “registration”.</p>
<p class="note-body">1990—Pub. L. 101–650, §702(a), inserted definition of “architectural work”.</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 101–650, §702(b), in definition of “Berne Convention work” added par. (5).</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 101–650, §602, inserted definition of “work of visual art”.</p>
<p class="note-body">1988—Pub. L. 100–568, §4(a)(1)(B), inserted definitions of “The Berne Convention” and “Berne Convention work”.</p>
<p class="note-body">Pub. L. 100–568, §4(a)(1)(C), inserted definition of “country of origin”.</p>
<!-- PDFPage:6 --><p class="note-body">Pub. L. 100–568, §4(a)(1)(A), in definition of “Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works” substituted “diagrams, models, and technical drawings, including architectural plans” for “technical drawings, diagrams, and models”.</p>
<p class="note-body">1980—Pub. L. 96–517 inserted definition of “computer program”.</p>
<!-- field-end:amendment-note -->
<!-- field-start:effectivedate-amendment-note -->
<h4 class="note-head">Effective Date of 1995 Amendment</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 6 of Pub. L. 104–39 provided that: “This Act [see Short Title of 1995 Amendment note below] and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect 3 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 1, 1995], except that the provisions of sections 114(e) and 114(f) of title 17, United States Code (as added by section 3 of this Act) shall take effect immediately upon the date of enactment of this Act.”</p>
<h4 class="note-head">Effective Date of 1992 Amendment</h4>
<p class="note-body">Section 102(g) of Pub. L. 102–307 provided that:</p>
<p class="note-body">“(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), this section [amending this section and sections 304, 408, 409, and 708 of this title and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 304 of this title] and the amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [June 26, 1992].</p>
<p class="note-body">“(2) The amendments made by this section shall apply only to those copyrights secured between January 1, 1964, and December 31, 1977. Copyrights secured before January 1, 1964, shall be governed by the provisions of section 304(a) of title 17, United States Code, as in effect on the day before the effective date of this section [June 26, 1992].</p>
<p class="note-body">“(3) This section and the amendments made by this section shall not affect any court proceedings pending on the effective date of this section.”</p>
<h4 class="note-head">Effective Date of 1990 Amendment</h4>
<p class="note-body">Amendment by section 602 of Pub. L. 101–650 effective 6 months after Dec. 1, 1990, see section 610 of Pub. L. 101–650, set out as an Effective Date note under section 106A of this title.</p>
<p class="note-body">Section 706 of title VII of Pub. L. 101–650 provided that: “The amendments made by this title [enacting section 120 of this title and amending this section and sections 102, 106, and 301 of this title], apply to—</p>
<p class="note-body-1em">“(1) any architectural wo…
