Copyright resources and FAQ: basics, fair use and AI
Copyright questions rarely arrive in the abstract. They come up when a student quotes a book, a parent opens an email from the internet provider, a teacher picks a film clip, or a small business owner designs a logo with an AI tool. This section collects plain-language answers to the questions people ask most, with the official source behind each one.
Start with the short explanations below, then follow the links to the full guides. Everything here is general information about US law, not legal advice for your situation.
01What copyright protects
Copyright protects original creative works: writing, music, art, photographs, film, choreography, architecture and software code. According to the US Copyright Office's general copyright FAQ, a work is protected "the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form." You do not need to register it, publish it or add a © symbol.
Copyright does not protect ideas, facts, systems or methods, though it can protect the way someone expresses them. It also does not protect names, titles or short slogans; those belong to trademark law. And in the United States, it protects only human authorship, which is why material generated by AI on its own is not registered.
The owner gets exclusive rights to copy, distribute, adapt, perform and display the work. Registration is optional, but you must register a US work before suing for infringement.
02How long copyright lasts
For works created on or after January 1, 1978, copyright lasts for the author's life plus 70 years, under 17 U.S.C. 302. Works made for hire, and anonymous or pseudonymous works, last 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever ends first. Older works follow earlier rules, and as of 2026 works published in the United States before 1931 are in the public domain.
Once copyright ends, anyone may copy, adapt and share the work. That is why classic novels and early films are widely available for free, while a new edition's introduction or translation may still be protected.
03Fair use in one paragraph
Fair use, set out in section 107 of the Copyright Act, allows some uses of copyrighted work without permission, such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching and research. Courts weigh four factors: the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, how much was used, and the effect on the market for the original. There is no safe number of words or seconds, and giving credit does not by itself make a use fair. Our full guide to what fair use is and how the four factors work explains the 2023 Warhol decision and how the factors apply to AI training.
04Copyright, trademark and patent
The three are often confused. Copyright protects creative expression and arises automatically. Trademark protects names, logos and slogans that identify who sells a product, and it comes from using the mark in commerce. A patent protects an invention and must be applied for and granted. A single product can involve all three. Our side-by-side guide to copyright versus trademark, and AI-made logos shows the differences in one table.
05Guides for parents, students and teachers
Three of our guides are written for particular readers, updated for the questions they bring now, from file sharing at home to AI tools at school.
- Parents: our guide to copyright for parents, from shared Wi-Fi to kids using AI explains what a provider's notice means and how to talk with children about AI tools.
- Students: our student guide to copyright and AI writing tools covers who owns your essays, quoting and images, and what to do if your work is flagged as AI-written.
- Teachers: our teacher guide to classroom copying and the TEACH Act explains section 110, online classes, handouts and AI-made material.
If your question is about downloading films or music, our page on whether downloading movies is illegal and how to find media legally is the place to start. If you remember the six strikes program, our answers to common Copyright Alert System questions explain what it was and what still applies.
Sources
- Copyright in General (FAQ)
US Copyright Office · 30 October 2026 - 17 U.S.C. 302, Duration of copyright
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · 30 October 2026 - 17 U.S.C. 107, Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · 30 October 2026
How we pick and check these: our editorial method.
07Questions people ask
Do I need to register my work to own the copyright?
No. Copyright exists as soon as your work is fixed in a tangible form. Registration is optional, but it is required before suing over a US work and can make statutory damages available.
Is mailing a copy to myself a "poor man's copyright"?
No. The US Copyright Office says there is no provision in the law for this practice and it is not a substitute for registration. Dated drafts can still help show when you made something.
Can I use something if there is no copyright notice on it?
Not safely. Notices have been optional since 1989, so most protected works online carry none. Assume a work is protected unless it is clearly in the public domain or openly licensed.
Side C · Track listing
Every page in this section
Six pages, each answering one question, with its catalogue number and the date it last changed.
- C1What is fair use? The four factors, with AI training as the test caseCI 2001 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026What is fair use? The four factors in 17 U.S.C. 107 with examples, how courts weigh transformative use, and how the factors apply to AI training.
- C2Copyright vs trademark, and why an AI-made logo may only get one of themCI 2002 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026Copyright vs trademark: what each protects, how long it lasts, how you get it, and why an AI-made logo may get trademark protection but not copyright.
- C3What parents need to know about copyright, file sharing and AI toolsCI 2003 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026What parents need to know about copyright: downloading and sharing, what a provider notice means, and how kids can use AI tools without copyright trouble.
- C4What students need to know about copyright and AI writing toolsCI 2004 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026What students need to know about copyright and AI writing tools: who owns your essay, using sources and images, AI rules at school, and proving you wrote it.
- C5What teachers need to know about copyright, fair use and AI-generated materialCI 2005 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026What teachers need to know about copyright: classroom fair use, the TEACH Act for online classes, sharing materials, and using AI-generated content.
- C6Is it illegal to download movies? Finding movies, TV and music legallyCI 2006 · Rev. 30 Oct 2026Is it illegal to download movies, music or TV? What US copyright law says, how to spot a legal service, and what happens if a download is flagged.
Related reading
From other sides of the record.
- C1 · CI 2001What is fair use? The four factors, with AI training as the test caseWhat is fair use? The four factors in 17 U.S.C. 107 with examples, how courts weigh transformative use, and how the factors apply to AI training.
- C2 · CI 2002Copyright vs trademark, and why an AI-made logo may only get one of themCopyright vs trademark: what each protects, how long it lasts, how you get it, and why an AI-made logo may get trademark protection but not copyright.
- C4 · CI 2004What students need to know about copyright and AI writing toolsWhat students need to know about copyright and AI writing tools: who owns your essay, using sources and images, AI rules at school, and proving you wrote it.
- Side B · CI 1000AI and copyright: what you can own, use and must discloseAI and copyright in plain English: can AI output be copyrighted, who owns it, how training meets fair use, when to disclose AI, and how to prove authorship.
- Side D · CI 3000Copyright notices explained: ISP letters, DMCA takedowns and AI-content claimsCopyright notices explained: ISP infringement letters, DMCA takedown notices and counter-notices, and claims that your work is AI-made or that AI copied it.