Issue Brief: U.S. Copyright Status of U.S. Federal Government Works

Works that are prepared by employees of the government pursuant to their official duties are in the public domain in the U.S.2 due to an express statutory provision prohibiting the U.S. Government from claiming copyright in such works. This issue brief is focused on the copyright status in the U.S. of Federal Government works. While these works may not enjoy U.S. copyright protection, they may enjoy foreign copyright protection and the U.S. may hold copyright to these works in other countries.

copyright-status-of-government-works.pdf