Copyright Basics

Laws

Texts from laws pertaining to copyright

• Title 17 of the United States Code
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (U.S. Copyright Office Summary)
• TEACH Act Text (North Carolina State University)

Fair Use

Rights of educators to use copyrighted material

• Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (U.S. Copyright Office) (Includes use of off-air recordings)
• Title 17 Section 107: Fair Use (U.S. Code)
• What is fair use? (U.S. Copyright Office)
• Fair Use (Washington State University)
• FAQ About Copyright and Fair Use (Chilling Effects Clearinghouse at George Washington University Law School)
• Copyright and Fair Use (Stanford University Libraries)
• Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia (Consortium of College and University Media Centers) (Look for (c) and Intellectual Property Issues link.)

Authors’ Rights

Many authors sign their copyrights away to publishers, so this area of copyright is complicated for both authors and those who wish to verify who really holds copyright.

• Common Misperceptions About Author Rights (MIT Libraries)
• Resources for Authors (Association of Research Libraries – Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition)
• Managing Your Copyrights (Create Change)

Public Domain

In general, federal publications are in the public domain unless produced by a private federal contractor.  State and local government publications are not.  Other publications may be in the public domain, but rules are complicated.

• Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States  (Cornell University)
• Public Domain and the Duration of Copyrights (Washington State University)

Getting Permission from Copyright Holders to Use Copyrighted Materials

• Introduction to the Permissions Process (Stanford University)
• Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Works for Educational Purposes (Copyright Management Center)
• Getting Permission: Where and How? (Washington State University)
• Association of American Publishers Copyright Resources
• Questions & Answers on Copyright for the Campus Community (National Association of College Stores)

Other Helpful Sites

• Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright (U.S. Copyright Office)
• Can I use someone else's work? (U.S. Copyright Office)
• Copyright (Washington State University)
• Copyright Management Center (Purdue University)
• Crash Course in Copyright (University of Texas System)
• TEACH Act Toolkit: An Online Resource for Understanding Copyright and Distance Education (North Carolina State University)
• Intellectual Property Outside the Classroom - Conference Handouts (Wesleyan University) (Xanadu is not an option at CC)
• United States Copyright Law: a Guide for Music Educators (National Association for Music Education)
• Hypertext Linking and Copyright Issues (American Library Association)