WHEREAS, the Constitutional authorization of copyright is based on a trade-off of limited property rights in exchange for contributions to the country's general welfare, and

WHEREAS, copyright is a private privilege which does conflict with public interest and is therefore granted subject to definite limitations, and

WHEREAS, any material produced with public monies are by their origins in the public domain,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Library Association strongly endorse the principle that publications produced with public monies remain free of copyright constraints, and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that ALA immediately communicate its endorsement of this principle to the appropriate Congressional committees and encourage individual members to do likewise.

Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association
July 23, 1976