Copyright

"The Congress shall have power...to promote the progress of science useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the
exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."

— U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8                                    

The information presented here about copyright is for general information purposes and is not a legal opinion or advice. Many areas of copyright law are quite complex and require consultation with an attorney. Briefly, copyright grants the author of an original work exclusive rights
      to reproduce
      to adapt
      to distribute publicly
      to display
      to perform
that original work. An individual other than the copyright owner who exercises these rights without receiving permission of the copyright holder (a transfer of copyright) is an infringer and is liable to the copyright owner.

Links to Copyright Information

Copyright Law of the United States, Title 17 of the U.S. Code
U.S. Copyright Office
Fair use

Useful Publication

Jassin, L.J., and S.C. Schechter, 1998, The copyright permission and libel handbook: A step-by-step guide for writers, editors, and publishers: New York, John Wiley.