Page:The librarian's copyright companion, by James S. Heller, Paul Hellyer, Benjamin J. Keele, 2012.djvu/25

Chapter One. General Principles Broader and more specific is the notice in The Journal of Economic Literature and the publications of the American Economic Association:

The Bottom Line: First, assume that a work is protected by copyright—even if it does not include a copyright notice—unless you know it’s in the public domain. Second, copyright notices that purport to tell you what you may or may not do can’t limit your fair use rights or other rights under the Copyright Act, but they may allow you to do more than the law would otherwise permit. Third, if you agree by contract not to use a work in a particular way, you will abide by the contract.

Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright. When a work is in the public domain—or if it is protected by copyright but the use is allowed under the Copyright Act—you do not have to receive permission, or pay royalties, to use it. Works in the public domain include those that never were copyrighted, works in which copyright has expired, and works of the United States government.