yourstate.us
17 U.S.C. § 108

Limitations on exclusive rights: Reproduction by libraries and archives

United States · Title 17 — COPYRIGHTS · Status: effective

Get this as JSONEmbed this
Cite this
Citation
17 U.S.C. § 108, Limitations on exclusive rights: Reproduction by libraries and archives, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/448467
Permanent ID
ys:prov:448467@1
SHA-256
0d8d401dca1f0a7c266e8e0c6174f093f3aeccffbba49b54c4f591a1092766eb

The hash is SHA-256 of this version's text, with every run of whitespace collapsed to a single space and the ends trimmed. The ID always leads back here, and checking it says whether the text you cited is still the current version.

Full text

Except as otherwise provided in this title and notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement of copyright for a library or archives, or any of its employees acting within the scope of their employment, to reproduce no more than one copy or phonorecord of a work, except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), or to distribute such copy or phonorecord, under the conditions specified by this section, if— The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section apply to three copies or phonorecords of an unpublished work duplicated solely for purposes of preservation and security or for deposit for research use in another library or archives of the type described by clause (2) of subsection (a), if— The right of reproduction under this section applies to three copies or phonorecords of a published work duplicated solely for the purpose of replacement of a copy or phonorecord that is damaged, deteriorating, lost, or stolen, or if the existing format in which the work is stored has become obsolete, if— The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section apply to a copy, made from the collection of a library or archives where the user makes his or her request or from that of another library or archives, of no more than one article or other contribution to a copyrighted collection or periodical issue, or to a copy or phonorecord of a small part of any other copyrighted work, if— The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section apply to the entire work, or to a substantial part of it, made from the collection of a library or archives where the user makes his or her request or from that of another library or archives, if the library or archives has first determined, on the basis of a reasonable investigation, that a copy or phonorecord of the copyrighted work cannot be obtained at a fair price, if— Nothing in this section— The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section extend to the isolated and unrelated reproduction or distribution of a single copy or phonorecord of the same material on separate occasions, but do not extend to cases where the library or archives, or its employee— No reproduction, distribution, display, or performance is authorized under this subsection if—

Legislative history

The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone.

  • Enacted byPub. L. 94-553(S. 22)1976-10-19
    An Act for the general revision of the Copyright Law, title 17 of the United States Code, and for other purposes.
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 102-307(S. 756)1992-06-26
    Copyright Amendments Act of 1992
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-80(H.R. 672)1997-11-13
    To make technical amendments to certain provisions of title 17, United States Code.
    House: 424–2Senate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-298(S. 505)1998-10-27
    Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-304(H.R. 2281)1998-10-28
    Digital Millennium Copyright Act
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 109-9(S. 167)2005-04-27
    Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally