While there may be hundreds of legal details involving the use of
copyrighted materials, the basic principles of the U.S. and
international copyright laws are pretty simple -- if it is an "original
work of authorship," you may not use it without the permission of its
creator. This law, of course, applies to all of the photography on the
Woody Woodruff, web site as well as to the web site itself.

Copyright laws state that any "original work of authorship" is protected
from the moment of its creation. It is very important to understand that
such a work need not be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office to
enjoy copyright protection. Infringements can result in severe penalties
as well a significant legal expenses.

The U.S. Copyright Law is simply the governments best attempt to provide
creative people with the legal clout to benefit financially from their
creations. It is not, as some seem to think, a roadblock to the
dissemination of information. In truth, lawmakers have bent over
backwards to make sure information is widely disseminated. A "fact" is
never copyrightable.

Students and others interested in using photographs without charge can
find many usable stock photos by going to any internet search engine such as
Google or Yahoo and typing in "free photography" of "free stock photography."

For more information about the U. S. Copyright Law, go to:
http://www.copyright.gov/