Everyone who makes a copy in a library, or for whom the library makes a copy of an in-copyright work, is given notice that their copy “is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” This is false, as is made clear by sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. copyright law.

The language of this notice is not in the law, but was written by the U.S. Copyright Office. The law requires libraries and archives to post the notice despite the fact that it actively misinforms patrons about their rights.

The longer this goes on, the more library users will be misinformed and artificially constrained in their lawful use of copyrighted works. The law does not need to change; what needs to change is the language of the notice. The U.S. Copyright Office is empowered to change that language at any time.

We, the undersigned, call on the U.S. Copyright Office to rewrite the notice required by section 108 to make clear that (as the law expressly provides), users who obtain copies from libraries and archives have all the same fair use rights that they would have with regard to copies made anywhere else.