View source for Copyright status of work by the U.S. government

A '''work of the United States government''', as defined by the [[United States]] [[copyright law of the United States|copyright law]], is "a work prepared by an officer or employee" of the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] "as part of that person's official duties."<ref name="USC|17|101">{{USC|17|101}} "A 'work of the United States Government' is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties."</ref> In general, under section 105 of the Copyright Act,<ref name=17usc105>{{USC|17|105}}</ref> such works are not entitled to domestic copyright protection under U.S. law and are therefore in the [[public domain]].

This act only applies to U.S. domestic copyright as that is the extent of U.S. ''federal'' law. The U.S. government asserts that it can still hold the copyright to those works in other countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cendi.gov/publications/FAQ_Copyright_30jan18.html#_Toc505089933|title=Does the Government have copyright protection in U.S. Government works in other countries?}}</ref><ref>House Report No. [[wikisource:Copyright Law Revision (House Report No. 94-1476)|94-1476]], p.59 ("The prohibition on copyright protection for United States Government works is not intended to have any effect on protection of these works abroad. Works of the governments of most other countries are copyrighted. There are no valid policy reasons for denying such protection to United States Government works in foreign countries, or for precluding the Government from making licenses for the use of its works abroad.").</ref>

Publication of an otherwise protected work by the U.S. government does not put that work in the public domain.  For example, government publications may include works copyrighted by a contractor or grantee; copyrighted material assigned to the U.S. Government; or copyrighted information from other sources.<ref>{{cite web | author=CENDI Copyright Working Group | title=Frequently Asked Questions About Copyright:Issues Affecting the US Government | publisher=Oak Ridge, TN: CENDI Secretariat | url=http://www.cendi.gov/publications/04-8copyright.html#316 | accessdate=July 31, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304232445/http://www.cendi.gov/publications/04-8copyright.html#316 | archive-date=March 4, 2009 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

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