Copyright law in the United States encourages the creation of unique content by authors and protects them from theft of the rights to works of art created in a single copy. The United States Code includes Title 17, which underwent a significant change in 1976. Since then, however, many amendments have been added there. Now, copyright law is an extremely relevant article of the code that applies to almost any artistic activity.

If you want to learn more about copyright in the USA and understand the main features of Title 17 in state law, keep reading this article.

The Essence of Copyright

Despite the fact that the modern version of the copyright law appeared in 1976, it has a long history that dates back to the 18th century. The first law proclaiming the inviolability of copyrighted works was inspired by the English predecessor law. Since then, the law has been updated several times, including the last one in the 1970s.

This law is necessary in order to ensure the inviolability of copyrighted content. By ensuring the preservation of uniqueness, authorities attract more people to creativity and science, which ultimately contributes to success at the national level. It is essential to note that the law specifies a certain period during which copyright is valid.

Scope Of The Law

Now that we have discussed the history and essence of copyright law, we can figure out which objects it covers. As we have already mentioned, this law is intended for works of art, but it also applies to scientific achievements and discoveries.

Here are some examples of things that can be protected by copyright law:

• Musical works;
• Literary works;
• Theatrical productions;
• Architectural objects;
• Any audio recordings and musical works.

The Process Of Registering A Work Of Art

In general, creative people do not have to register all their pieces of art. The law is designed in such a way that all works of art fall within its scope regardless of the availability of registration. However, some actions become possible only after registration is completed. For example, the creator can file a lawsuit in court if necessary or protect the work from illegal transportation.

Copyright Term

The validity period of copyright primarily depends on the date of creation of the work. Those works of art that were created almost a century ago (before 1923) already belong to the public domain, therefore the copyright has expired. Talking about modern works of art, the copyright period is 70 years after the death of its author. Moreover, this period can be 120 years if the work was created by order.