Don't Keep the Public Guessing: Best Practices in Notice of Copyright and Terms and Conditions of Use for Government Web Site Content

摘要

Users often assume that information on Federal agency web sites is in the public domain and unprotected by copyright. However, U.S. Government web sites may include information subject to terms and conditions of use based on private entity intellectual property rights. Under the law, the burden is on users of the information to identify the copyright and intellectual property status, but identifying the rights or how to obtain permission can be very difficult. As an initial step, government agencies should inform the public that information on agency web sites may be copyrighted or subject to other intellectual property rights, and are subject to terms and conditions of use.