Genealogy and Copyright Guidelines

Note: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. 

1. The book, Carmack's Guide to Copyright & Contracts: A Primer for Genealogists, Writers & Researchers, is available at GenealogyStore.com
   
2. Optional Print Course Material: Genealogy and Copyright Guidelines

*Course materials will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

As genealogists, we must be very careful how we use information or documents we find during our research. The use of certain documents or the publication of information may be restricted in some way. There are many laws―federal, provincial, state and local―that affect the manner in which we can use the information of interest to genealogists. This course covers the area of law which has the most direct impact on genealogical research, copyright law. This law affects the way that you can use copies of other's work, and ways that you can protect your own work.

This course is based on the laws of the United States with a large portion of genealogy companies based in the US, you will need to understand these laws as well as in other countries, although some of the information will not be applicable in your country, the concepts of copyright in most countries are similar. Research copyright laws in your own country to see the limitations that may be imposed upon you.