Copyright Law
The United States Copyright Act protects original works of authorship that are fixed in any tangible medium of expression, such as literary works; musical works; dramatic works; pantomimes and choreographic works; pictorial, graphic and sculptural works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; sound recordings; and architectural works. According to Section 201, ownership of the copyright vests initially in the author or authors of the work.
Section 106 provides that the owner of a copyright has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
- reproduce copyrighted work,
- prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work,
- distribute copies of the work to the public,
- perform copyrighted work publicly, and
- display copyrighted work publicly
Section 501 provides penalties for infringement that include, but are not limited to, an injunction to stop infringement, payment of monetary damages, statutory penalties, court costs and attorneys’ fees, and criminal charges.
Section 110 provides a “religious services” exception. It provides that performance of nondramatic literary or musical work or of a dramatico-musical work of a religious nature, or display of work, in the course of services at a place of worship or other religious assembly is not infringement. It is not infringement if the performance is not done with profit as the motive, without payment of a fee or other compensation to any of the performers, promoters, or organizers, and without a direct or indirect admission charge, or if admission is charged, the proceeds, after deducting reasonable costs, are used solely for educational, religious or charitable purposes.