For those who doubt the complexity of U.S. copyright law take a look at this online slide-rule from the American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy. It’s designed to help librarians and others figure out if a creative work is copyright protected. The exceptions to the law, and the exceptions to the exceptions, are reminiscent of the nerve-wracking U.S. tax code.
For example, say you have a book that was created before 1979 and published before January 1, 2003. Is permission needed to reuse the book? According to the slide-rule, maybe. Generally speaking, the book is copyright protected through 2047. Then again, the protection could last longer.—Andrea L. Foster
