An Overview of the Exceptions

In many areas of the law, the exceptions can be more important than the starting rules.  In trial proceedings, the hearsay exceptions can devour the general prohibition.  In corporate securities work, lawyers routinely labor to plan a stock issuance that does not have to be registered.  For many of us, the same is true about copyright.  This examination of the exceptions in copyright can be described as “Origins, Rights, and Dependency.”  We will look at the history and growth of exceptions in U.S. law and in some foreign countries.  We will question whether exceptions are limitations on owners, or defenses against legal claims, or even true rights of use.  This exploration will lay a foundation for understanding how we depend on exceptions and other limitations in advancing our work in libraries, education, research, publishing, and more.

Presenter: Kenneth D. Crews, JD, PhD