Subject Guide -- Copyright and Intellectual Property

Much of the information related to copyright law and intellectual property can be found in government publications.

A good starting place is with the U.S. Copyright Office information page entitled Copyright Basics. Searching FIRSTGOV.gov will also lead to many government information sources on copyright and intellectual property.

Search for information in MaagNet, as it provides links to almost all of the documents currently held in our collection or available online.

Use these sources for background information or to gain an understanding of major concepts.

• The librarian's guide to intellectual property in the digital age: copyrights, patents and trademarks Ref KF2980 .W485 2002
  A resource helpful for anybody, not just librarians, who want to understand the basics about copyright, patents and trademarks.
• McCarthy's desk encyclopedia of intellectual property Ref KF 297 1991
  Defines and analyzes nearly 800 words, phrases, statutes, and conventions on trademark, copyright, trade secret, entertainment, and computer law. Includes new entries to reflect emerging areas of IP law.
• Protecting trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks Ref KF2979 .D67 1990
  Explains the basic principles of intellectual property and provides access to resources including leading references, books, databases, articles, and associations.
• Protecting your proprietary rights in the computer and high technology industries Ref KF3024 .C6 .M37 1998
  Explores the fundamental elements of proprietary rights and includes a discussion of three basic methods of asserting those rights in software and hardware: trade secret, copyright, and patent.

For more help finding books, see Finding Books.
 

Resources are located throughout the library: items in the Reference Room, Serials and in the circulating collection are all arranged according to the Library of Congress Classification System. Once you locate a book or journal that is useful in one of these areas, you can locate information on the same or similar topics by locating the same call number in the other areas of the library. See Call Numbers and Floor Plans for assistance.

Some of the call numbers where you will find copyright and intellectual property information are:

• K1 - 7720:   Law in general. Comparative and uniform law. Jurisprudence
• KF:   Law of the United States
• KF1 - 9827:   Federal law. Common and collective state law.

See Finding Books for more information. To find books by subject, search MaagNet or the OhioLINK catalog. If you are not sure of the exact subject for the topic you are researching, begin with Copyright or Intellectual Property and browse the list of subjects or use one of the subjects below to get started.

• Copyright -- Electronic information resources
• Copyright -- Official information -- United States
• Copyright -- United States
• Design protection -- United States
• Intellectual property -- United States
• Intellectual property (International law)

Many journals are now available through online subscription databases and through the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center. Various terms can be used to search these databases, including subject and keywords. Most databases allow access by current YSU faculty, students and staff from off campus, although a few are restricted to in-library use only. For more information about connecting from home, see off-campus access.

• Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)
  Scholarly, multi-discipline, full text database designed specifically for academic institutions. This resource contains full text for over 3400 scholarly publications.
  On campus    Off campus
• LexisNexis Academic
  Provides access to a wide range of news, including legal, from nearly 5,000 sources, most of them available full text.
  On campus     Off campus
• Library Literature and Information Science
  Indexes key library and information science periodicals. Includes information on copyright legislation.
  On and off campus access
• Electronic Journal Center (OhioLINK)
  Includes the full text of more than 6,000 online research journals covering many subject areas.
  On and off campus access
•  
• These databases provide a starting point for your research. To see other available databases, visit the Research Databases page.

Web Resources

The links below provide access to intellectual property resources on the Internet:

• Know Your Copy Rights
  A Web site for librarians who are developing positive educational programs for academic users of copyrighted materials in US not-for-profit institutions
• Copyright Clearance Center
  Providing convenient access to copyright permission for millions of publications worldwide.
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act - EDUCAUSE
  Information about the DMCA with a link to the document.
• Intellectual Property Law Server
  Resources include comprehensive links, general info, space for professionals to publish articles and forums for discussing related issues.
• Intellectual Property Links - compiled by European patent attorney Ralph Beier
  Resources are international in scope and include an alphabetized list of intellectual property offices arranged by country, official registers and databases, case law databases, official gazettes and collections of many other valuable worldwide resources.
• Maag Library's Patent, Trademark, & Copyright Resource List
• 10 Big Myths about copyright explained
  An attempt to answer common myths about copyright seen on the net and cover issues related to copyright and USENET/Internet publication.
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  One of the specialized agencies of the United Nations. It administers 23 international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual property protection.

The links below provide access to intellectual property policies of other universities:

• Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
• Fort Hayes State University, Hayes, KS
• Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
• Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS
• University of Denver, Denver, CO
• University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
• University of Wisconsin - Extension - Distance Education Clearinghouse