General Information

On January 1, 1978, Copyright Law was revised to reflect a redefinition of the copyright term for individuals as "the life of the author plus fifty years". Prior to January 1, 1978, the copyright term was 28 years. At the end of the 28th year the copyright period could be renewed for an optional period of 28 years, later extended to 47 years (hence the 75-year rule for determining works in the public domain). Note that the redefinition pertains only to works created after January 1, 1978. Current legislation may increase the copyright term for individuals by an additional 20 years, thus "life of the author plus seventy years".

Fair Use

This provision in the copyright law allows for reproduction of material under certain guidelines without requesting specific permission to do so. Fair Use generally suggests those circumstances in which it is permissible to use portions of another's copyrighted work--in teaching, scholarship, research, commentary and news reporting. It is important to note that the determination of fair use is subjective and a judgement of the copyright holder. One should therefore exercise caution when contemplating use of another's work under these guidelines.

Four Factors in Fair Use

• The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
• The nature of the copyrighted work;
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole;
• The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

International Copyright

Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country. The Berne Convention provides that countries which signed the treaty grant minimum protection--a copyright duration of at least the author's life plus 50 years; moral rights; provision allowing for fair use of copyrighted works. A new section was added to the Copyright Law as part of the U.S.adherence to NAFTA and GATT which grants or restores U.S. copyright to large classes of foreign works.

How to Submit a Request for Permission to Reprint AMS Material

Requests for permission to reprint AMS material should be sent to

reprint-permission@ams.org
or to
Publication Administration Department
American Mathematical Society
P.O. Box 6248
Providence, RI 02940-6248

and should contain the following information:

• Complete citation for the material to be reprinted
• Description of usage, including information about the book, etc., and name of the publisher
• Edition size-if magazine, then circulation information
• Estimated price
• Xerox copy of any type of graphic, if possible