In this age of downloadable, linkable and cut-and-pasteable everything, it seems that kids are being exposed to copyright issues at younger and younger ages. So what better time than the present to begin educating them?

That is the thought behind a new feature on our Web site (the U.S. Copyright Office is part of the Library of Congress) called ?Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright.? A group of anime-looking characters led by ?Detective Cop E. Wright? talk about copyright matters in a way that?s geared toward young people, with links back to more detailed information. (Even the music, which is vaguely evocative of a Quinn Martin production, is original and thus copyright-friendly.)

And if you?re curious whether my own pilfering of the image of Detective Wright for this post itself constitutes copyright infringement, never fear: Works produced by federal employees in the performance of their jobs are in the public domain. As Cliff Clavin would say, ?It?s a little-known fact!?