

How much do I have to change in order to claim copyright in someone else's work? See, Fair Use Index, and Circular 21, Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. How much of someone else's work can I use without getting permission? Circular 6, Access to and Copies of Copyright Records and Deposit, provides additional information. A certificate of registration for any registered work can be obtained see Circular 4 Copyright Office fees, for this and other records and services. In the latter case, a litigation statement is required.

The Copyright Office will not honor a request for a copy of someone else's protected work without written authorization from the copyright owner or from his or her designated agent, unless the work is involved in litigation. How can I obtain copies of someone else's work and/or registration certificate? Check out the Virtual Card Catalog Proof of Concept as well. For further information, see Circular 22, How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work, and Circular 23, Copyright Card Catalog and the Online File. Copyright registrations made and documents recorded from 1978 to date are available for searching online. There is no fee if you conduct a search in person at the Copyright Office. Upon request, our staff will search our records, see Circular 4 Copyright Office fees. A search of registrations, renewals, and recorded transfers of ownership made before 1978 requires a manual search of our files. We can provide you with the information available in our records. If you are not certain about the ownership or have other related questions, you may wish to request that the Copyright Office conduct a search of its records or you may search yourself. If you know who the copyright owner is, you may contact the owner directly. How do I get permission to use somebody else's work?
