An ad hoc task group was constituted by the Committee on Scientific and Technical Information (COSATI) to: (1) delineate present and future issues issues for COSATI, (3) recommend additions or deletions in the present copyright law or in the pending revision now in Congress, and (4) recommend other short or long-term actions related to authorship and information availability. A study by the group, which provides the basis for its summary report, analyzes the effect of copyright on the requirements of national information systems and the implementation of federal programs and also considers the range of proposals suggested for providing access, compensation, or both. The summary report, intended to serve as a background paper to assist in formulation of public policies, examines these problems: ready access to copyright material, making computer input an infringement, and exemptions for non-profit uses. The group's principal observation is that scientific, technical and economic progress and the international competitive position of the U.S. depend upon ready access to information as well as its effective use, and legal procedures must continue to keep pace with technological advances in the dissemination and use of published information. (JB)