| Author | In the context of copyright, an author is the creator of the work. For example, a painter (the author) and a painting (the work) or a photographer (the author) and a photo (the work). |
| Copyright | A form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of works that are original and fixed. An original work is something independently created by a human author and possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. Fixed means it is recorded in some way that can be accessed. |
| Fair Use | Fair Use is a group of factors that can be used to determine whether a person other than the author can exercise one of the rights of authors. For example, using a quote from a book in your essay or a library displaying the cover of a book. The distinction between "fair use" and infringement can be unclear and is not easily defined. There is no right number of words, lines, or notes that qualify as a fair use. |
| Public Domain | Something is in the public domain when it is no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner. |