Provides an overview of the legal nature of copyright, its history, and present status. Current issues of concern to information professionals are then discussed, including reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material, interlibrary loans, the "Five-Year Review" of the current law, technology, nonprint materials, and databases.…

Provides guidelines intended to help teachers, librarians, and administrators recognize when they must obtain permission to copy, perform, or display a work. Reviews the exceptions to the copyright law and its application to photocopying, reproduction by libraries and archives, videotaping, live and transmitted performances, and computer programs.…

Reviews trends in copyright law, including changes resulting from technological advances that include audio and video tape recordings, motion pictures, photocopying equipment, CD-ROM, and multimedia; amendments to the law, including administrative issues; compensation to authors of computer software programs; court cases; and a movement toward…

Comments on court cases dealing with copyrighted materials of special interest to librarians highlight Williams and Wilkins case, Sony case dealing with videocopying, computer programs and databases, government and legal materials in public domain, musical works, and four factors of Section 107 (fair use) of 1976 Copyright Law. (109 references)…

Summarizes recent developments in copyright law, with a focus on their consequences for users in colleges, universities, and libraries. Highlights include the concept of fair use; library reproduction rights; recent court cases and legislation; and future copyright concerns, including fair use of computer software and electronic text, and license…

Examines the nature of copyright, the current status of computer software in the context of copyright, and the applicability of the "Fair Use Doctrine" and "Classroom Guidelines" to instructional software and video as determined by relevant statute and case law. (Author/AEF)