Understanding Copyright

We've all seen the copyright symbol lurking in the corner of a paper or the footer of a website, but what exactly is copyright and how do you get it for your own work? What does it mean when something is under copyright, and how does that affect you? This guide aims to help you get started in untangling these questions. Of course, we're not lawyers and can't give you legal advice, but we can give you the tools to make more informed decisions about (re)using copyrighted materials and help you to make choices about what you want to do with your own work. 

Note: Most of the content in this guide is geared toward U.S. copyright law. For more information on international copyright law, see this page.