Under what legal framework is an article published by an instructor protected?

The 1976 Copyright Act established a comprehensive framework for copyright law in the United States, and it is the legislation that most commonly governs works created by instructors and other authors. This Act set forth the term of copyright protection, the rights of authors, and the limitations on those rights, including fair use provisions. Under this legal framework, original works of authorship, including articles published by instructors, are protected as soon as they are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. This means that as soon as an instructor writes and publishes an article, it is automatically protected by copyright law under the provisions of this Act.

While the other options refer to different legislative proposals or updates to copyright law, they do not apply to the foundational principles of copyright that were established in 1976 and which continue to influence copyright protection for instructional materials and similar works.