The first sale doctrine says that after a copyright holder first sells a copy of his or her work, the new owner may do whatever he or she pleases with that copy (assuming that use is legal). This concept came up through common law and was eventually codified in the Copyright Act of 1976. In 2010, two cases were working their way through the U.S.…

Copyright law is a source of a great deal of bewilderment and frustration to academic librarians. Beyond the basics of copyright protection and fair use, most librarians struggle to grasp the complexity of the law and the roadblocks it presents to access and use. This article attempts to elucidate some of those complexities by suggesting seven…

The six surveys on photocopying and publishing activity in America that are described in this report were conducted in 1981 to assess the effectiveness of the 1976 Copyright Act in balancing the rights of creators and the needs of users for copyrighted works. An indication of their statistical precision precedes detailed reports on each type of…

This article, written before report to Congress by Register of Copyrights was issued, examines whether balancing of rights of creators and needs of users has been accomplished by Copyright Revision Act of 1976, and reviews key issues in dispute between librarians and publishers over use of copyrighted materials in libraries. (EJS)

Examines ramifications of legislative recognition of concept of fair use in Copyright Act of 1976 and argues that elimination of fair use doctrine, coupled with increase in technological approaches to reporting of secondary use of copyrighted material, will benefit authors, publishers, and librarians alike. Fifteen references are cited. (EJS)

Discusses report titled "Libraries, Publishers, and Photocopying: Final Report of Surveys Conducted for the United States Copyright Office," by King Research, Inc. Six surveys of library photocopying in general, specific recording by an interlibrary request log, publishers, and library users as they use copying machines are described.…

This discussion of copyright protection for computer programs focuses on the "first sale doctrine" and "shrink wrap" licenses, copyright of databases, copyright ownership, and copyright notices. (EM)

Discusses the copyright act in general; presents a discourse on three sections of the law especially significant to computer programs (fair use, first sale, and like rights in computer programs); and discusses copying to and from hard disks and library liability with regard to the law's three specific sections. (MBR)

Overview of developments in micrographics and video technology notes meetings and organizational activities and highlights literature published on microforms in libraries, micrographic equipment, fair use and the issue of copyright, micropublishing, and video/optical disc technology. (EJS)