IS ACCESS REALLY RESTRICTED?

Many people view copyright laws as restrictions on what they can do with information or images that they find. However, that's not the fundamental purpose of the law. In the long term, the purpose of copyright law is to promote learning and creativity.

In the short term, copyright law does place restrictions on the use of creative works, reserving certain rights for the owner of the copyright, thereby allowing the copyright owner to reap monetary benefits for a fixed period of time. However, after that period, the work becomes part of the body of arts, knowledge, literature and media available to all members of society.

The U.S. Constitution and the various copyright and patent laws enacted by Congress aim to maintain a balanced environment in which people are encouraged to create new works, and in which a work eventually enters the public domain, becoming freely available to all.

By granting the copyright holder exclusive rights over a work for a limited period of time, the system fosters the long-term dissemination of new intellectual works for socie ty as a whole.