Copyright & Fair Use
Information on a range of copyright-related topics, including fair use and open access.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.
- "Copyright Basics" from the U.S. Copyright Office12-page "plain language" summary of copyright laws, including:
-- What is (and is not) protected by copyright
-- How to secure a copyright
-- How Long Copyright Protection Endures
-- Search of Copyright Office Records
- U.S. Copyright LawComplete version of the U.S. Copyright Law (December 2011)
and Related Laws Contained in Tıtle 17 of the United States Code
Online Resources
- Fair Use Evaluator What this tool can do for you: - Help you better understand how to determine the "fairness" of a use under the U.S. Copyright Code. - Collect, organize & archive the information you might need to support a fair use evaluation. - Provide you with a time-stamped, PDF document for your records, which could prove valuable, should you ever be asked by a copyright holder to provide your fair use evaluation and the data you used to support it. - Provide access to educational materials, external copyright resources, and contact information for copyright help at local & national levels.
- "Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians" U.S. Copyright Office Circular 21 (Revised 8/2014)
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States (from Cornell University) A detailed and robust resource for exploring whether a resource is protected by copyright.
- ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (Michael Brewer) copyright determination tool Interactive resource for exploring whether a resource is protected by copyright.
- Digital Copyright SliderA quick-and simple tool for identifying copyright status and protections
- Fair Use EvaluatorTool to help you collect, organize and archive the information you might need to support a fair use evaluation.
- Exceptions for Instructors toolTool for determining if your intended use meets the correct conditions.
Exceptions to Copyright Law
Exceptions to Copyright Law include:
- Public Domainitems not protected by copyright law due to ineligibility, author intent, or status.
- Creative Commonslicensing service which enables creators to permit use of an item according to the terms of their choice of creative commons licenses.
- Open Accesscopyrighted items made available at no charge by the publisher. Many open access journals and articles are indexed in the DOAJ.
- Open Educational Resources (OER)copyrighted instructional items you are given permission to use by the creator.
- Fair Usesection of copyright law permitting use of copyrighted material (without permission) under certain circumstances, e.g. education.
Resources on Copyright at our Library
Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators by ISBN: 9780838946916Publication Date: 2020-03-30eBook (limited to one user at a time)
Intellectual property issues for higher education unions : a primer by Publication Date: 2002eBook (full text PDF download)
Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators by Call Number: Scholars Den Z 642 C927c 2012ISBN: 0838910920Publication Date: 2011-01-01Print item held in the library
Copyright Law on Campus by ISBN: 0874222648Publication Date: 2003-01-01Print item held in the Library
Recent Copyright News from Brigham Young University Copyright Licensing Office
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