National copyright law

While no creative work is automatically protected worldwide, there are international treaties which provide protection automatically for all creative works as soon as they are fixed in a medium.
There are two primary international copyright agreements, the Buenos Aires Convention and the Berne Convention.

Feb 7, 2023International copyright law is a mix of copyright treaties and domestic copyright laws, and is based on the notion of national treatment.

Are Federal Records copyrighted?

Copies of Federal records, as part of the public domain, are equally available to all.
A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions.
The National Archives does not confirm the copyright status of photographs but will provide any information known about said status.

What does the Copyright Office do?

The Copyright Office administers the national copyright system and provides advice on copyright law to congress, federal agencies, the courts and the public.
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