Changes

Works that were published before March 1, 1989 required a copyright notice, such as the word "Copyright" or "&copy;", along with name of the copyright owner.<ref>http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter8/8-a.html</ref> (The approximation "(c)" was widely used, but invalid.) There are some narrow exceptions to this rule, and the lack of a notice on an unauthorized copy does not entitle one to copy the work.  Works published after that are protected by copyright laws even if they lack the notice.  Registration of copyrights is optional, but you need to have the work registered to sue for damages.  These changes were mandated by the [[Berne Convention]], an international copyright regime.

Works that were published before March 1, 1989 required a copyright notice, such as the word "Copyright" or "&copy;", along with name of the copyright owner.<ref>http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter8/8-a.html</ref> (The approximation "(c)" was widely used, but invalid.) There are some narrow exceptions to this rule, and the lack of a notice on an unauthorized copy does not entitle one to copy the work.  Works published after that are protected by copyright laws even if they lack the notice.  Registration of copyrights is optional, but you need to have the work registered to sue for damages.  These changes were mandated by the [[Berne Convention]], an international copyright regime.

All court decisions and statutes, whether federal, state or local, are in the public domain and may be fully copied. Even pagination inserted into opinions by private publishers is [[fair use]] and may be copied.<ref>''Matthew Bender & Co. v. West Publishing Co.'', 158 F.3d 693 (2d Cir. 1998).</ref>

All court decisions and statutes, whether federal, state or local, are in the public domain and may be fully copied.

 

== Copyright Act ==

== Copyright Act ==