Our Approach
Copyright Nexus combines a structured knowledge base of U.S. copyright law with direct queries against verified renewal and biographical databases to deliver accurate, documented rights determinations for any work in your collection. Every determination follows the established legal framework for U.S. copyright status, the same framework used by copyright professionals across libraries, archives, and museums, and returns a confidence level that is honest about what the data does and does not support.
Each service draws on verified records, applies established legal rules, and documents the reasons for every determination.
Our Methodology
Our methodology is grounded in U.S. copyright law, combined with work done by the University of Minnesota and PA Digital, to establish the decision framework that guides every rights determination.
Each determination draws on up to five authoritative sources depending on the nature of the work being researched.
For published works, we search across renewal records from the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database, NYPL Catalog of Copyright Entries, U.S. Copyright Office, and the HathiTrust Copyright Review Management System to determine whether copyright was maintained or has lapsed.
For unpublished works, along with following guidance from UMN and PA Digital, we query Wikidata biographical records to establish author death dates and calculate copyright term.
For government works, we apply the federal authorship rules established under 17 U.S.C. 105. We hope to be able to expand to include U.S. state level works as well.
Finally, standardized rights statements from RightsStatements.org are included with every rights determination made by Copyright Nexus.
Confidence Levels
Every determination Copyright Nexus returns includes one of three confidence levels.
Confidence levels reflect exactly what the available evidence supports. Nothing more, nothing less. Responsible copyright research requires honesty about uncertainty, and that is what these levels are designed to provide.
Limitations
Copyright Nexus is a research assistance platform, not a substitute for legal counsel. Our determinations reflect U.S. copyright law only and are not intended to address copyright status in other jurisdictions. For works with complex ownership histories, foreign publication origins, or high institutional stakes, we recommend consulting a copyright attorney or contacting the U.S. Copyright Office directly.