A Nifty Video on Copyright Basics from the CCC
Click the above image to visit a very nice basics video posted by the Copyright Clearance Center.
A Few Library Resources on Copyright
The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know by Call Number: REF KF2995 .F53 2011ISBN: 1413316174Publication Date: 2011NOLO guides address legal issues in readable English for the general consumer. This book helps readers understand copyright both as a creator and as a user of information. It helps to define what constitutes infringement and how to avoid it.
Copyright for Schools by Call Number: KF3020 .S575 2010ISBN: 1586833936Publication Date: 2010From the summary: "In this guide for teachers and school librarians, Simpson, an attorney who practices school law in Texas, reviews basic concepts of copyright law, public domain, licensed and royalty-free materials, and fair use, and then examines problems arising from the use of specific media in classrooms and school libraries, covering everything from print through multimedia, distance learning, the Internet, and computer software."
Questions & Answers on Copyright for the Campus Community by Call Number: eBOOK: Available through eBraryPublication Date: 2006 (7th Edition)Although a web version is linked to the right, here is the PDF version of a very useful booklet sponsored by the Association of American Publishers Inc., Association of American University Presses, Copyright Clearance Center Inc., National Association of College Stores Inc., and the Software & Information Industry Association. We also own this in paper, see this record.
Copyright Plain and Simple by Call Number: eBOOK: Available through eBraryISBN: 1564145123Publication Date: 2000Early chapters have titles like "What is Copyright?" "Copyright Basics" and "Fair Use Examined."
Every Writer's Guide to Copyright and Publishing Laws by Call Number: REF KF3020.Z9 K685 2004ISBN: 0805073787Publication Date: 2004Author Kozak aims to present author-oriented copyright information in a clear and accessible way.
Copyright
Title 17 of United States Code defines and details Copyright Law. (For the latest and complete version of the U.S. Copyright Law, see this page.) The law is designed to protect "intellectual property." It protects the person or entity who creates a work from others claiming the work as their own or making a profit from it. The original work being protected can be print or electronic in its form. It can be words, software, music or art. A person doesn't have to register their original work with the U.S. Copyright Office for the work to be copyrighted. Original work is protected as soon as it is created by the copyright laws of the U.S.
You should always assume that any material or resource (in any format) that you find is copyrighted and therefore protected by law. Only those works specifically identified a being in the "public domain" can be reused without permission. Still, it is proper academic practice to adequately cite even information from public domain sources like a 19th century novel or a government website when you are quoting from them in a class presentation, school project or research paper.
Here is a small excerpt from a U.S. Copyright Officer Circular:
To see the entire 12 page pamphlet, click here. Their FAQ on Copyright can be found here. And see the entire Copyright Office webpage here.
Additional Web Resources on Copyright
- Columbia University Libraries: Copyright Quick GuideColumbia has a detailed set of pages related to copyright. This page is a Quick Guide that provides a nice overview of the topic. Explore other options on the left frame.
- Questions & Answers on Copyright for the Campus CommunityThe National Association of College Stores sponsors this web version of a useful pamphlet (now in its 7th edition) produced along with the Association of American Publishers, the Association of American University Presses and the Copyright Clearance Center. It covers topics like What is Copyright? Penalties for Copyright Infringement, What is Fair Use? E-Reserves and the TEACH Act.
- Center for the Study of the Public Domain: Tales from the Public Domain: BOUND BY LAW?Duke University's CSPD has a wonderful comic book that helps to explain copyright. Graphic novelist Art Spiegelman calls the publication "An indispensable guide for the perplexed (ain't we all!) in this postmodern information age – and all in easy-to-read comics format, a stunt far more difficult than you'd think!"
- Association of Research Libraries: Know Your Copy RightsThis downloadable 2007 brochure from the ARL is designed for faculty and teaching assistants. "Among the topics covered in the brochure are: fair use, the advantage of linking to instead of copying works, and special provisions for displaying or performing works in classes. The brochure also includes a one-page chart that highlights 24 situations when various categories of works can be used."
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: Teaching CopyrightCopyright can be confusing, so although this curriculum was designed for teachers of "kids and teens," it's not a bad introduction to the modern minefield of copyright for adults who are equally confused!
- Stanford University: Copyright & Fair Use: Charts and ToolsThis is just one page of Stanford's elaborate guide to copyright. This pages links to external materials that emphasize the understanding of copyright through visual means.
- National Writer's Union: Freelancer's Copyright GuideIf you create content, you might want to take a look at the Freelancer's Guide from the NWU--a union that works to protect the rights of creative workers.
- When Works Pass into the Public DomainLolly Gasaway of the University of North Carolina put together this chart to help explain how the date of material created relates to the rules governing when it is no longer copyright-protected. That is, becomes "public domain."
- Copyright Clearance CenterThe CCC--whose nice video is linked to the upper left of this page--has materials on the importance of copyright compliance available (although registration might be required). It is also where you can get the permissions you need to reuse or reproduce protected materials. (NOTE: Faculty at Suffolk should consult the bookstore about putting together course packs. They can assist in this process.)
- Suffolk University Law Library: Webography: Copyright LawHere is our Law Library's guide to copyright. It is primarily a list of links.
- Sawyer Library Music Resource Guide: CopyrightOur Music guide provides links to webpages that explain copyright issues specific to Music.
And on a Related Topic: Trademarks
The Pocket Legal Companion to Trademark by Call Number: KF3180.Z9 W545 2012ISBN: 1581159099Publication Date: 2012Written for the layperson this guide is "filled with valuable and ready-to-use information on using trademarks to avoid lawsuits and protect your ideas."
For a basic introduction to Trademarks (a protected "word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate the source of the goods/services") first visit this government website for The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. You can get information on Patents ("an intellectual property right granted by the Government of the United States of America to an inventor") at the same website. Also look for books here and at the Law Library. Here's an easy-to-read example:
