Copyright resources

Basic U.S. copyright resources

Copyright Decision Map (University of Minnesota)

http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/map.phtml

A step-by-step flow chart that walks you through the process of using copyrighted materials.

Crash Course in Copyright

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm

Tutorial especially designed to answer questions about copyright, especially questions often asked by faculty.

Law About Copyright (Cornell University)

http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/copyright.html

Excellent center of information about and links to primary and secondary copyright resources.

United States Copyright Office (Library of Congress)

http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

When Works Pass Into the Public Domain

http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm

Handy chart outlining when and under what circumstances works become public domain.

Copyright of specific formats/materials

Articles for Writers and Publishers (Ivan Hoffman)

http://www.ivanhoffman.com/helpful.html

Helpful articles covering basic copyright law and issues specific to the book publishing world.

Copyright--Intellectual Property Rights--Fair Use

http://www.vraweb.org/resources/ipr/copyright.html

Sponsored by the Visual Resources Association, this site provides links to guidelines, position statements, press releases, reports, papers, and related resources of interest to those who work with visual images.

Copyright for Music Librarians

http://www.lib.jmu.edu/org/mla/

Covers copyright basics and provides Music Library Association statements on copyright, fair use, and electronic reserves.

Copyright Renewal Database (Stanford U.)

http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/bin/page?forward=home

"This database makes searchable the copyright renewal records received by the US Copyright Office between 1950 and 1993 for books published in the US between 1923 and 1963." (web site description) Limited to selected books.

Copyright Resource Center (Music Publishers Assoc.)

http://www.mpa.org/copyright_resource_center/

Includes links to various web sites as well as a "a step-by-step guide to researching the copyright holder or publisher of a piece of music."

FOB: Firms Out of Business

http://tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/fob.cfm

"...a database of publishing, literary and other firms out of business." (web site description). Also tries to indicate successor firms which may have taken over any intellectual property rights still in effect.

WATCH (Writers, Artists and Their Copyright Holders)

http://tyler.hrc.utexas.edu/

"...a database of copyright contacts for writers, artists, and prominent figures in other creative fields." (web site description)

International copyright

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

http://wipo.int/portal/index.html.en

The WiPO administers the Berne Copyright Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, a set of international agreements regarding copyright.

UNESCO's Collection of National Copyright Laws

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=14076&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Links to copyright laws from various countries.

Posting materials on Web sites/eReserves

Many faculty today are interested in posting full-text materials on their personal home pages and pages developed for specific courses. If the materials are copyrighted, certain guidelines must be followed to be in copyright compliance. The guidelines outlined below are taken from the Fair Use Guidelines for Electronic Reserve Systems and are in use with electronic reserve systems at other universities. Webster U. and Eden Seminary faculty and staff should also see the information on Persistent URLs for alternatives to posting full-text articles.

The following can be posted on a web page without permission if (a) access is limited to the students in the course by password or some other method, and (b) a copyright notice is posted at the beginning of the screen. (See the suggested wording for copyright notice.)

• One article from a journal issue
• One chapter from a book
• Government publications (although not generally covered by copyright, it may work better to post links to these since they're usually lengthy)
• Materials such as exams, lecture notes, etc.

Specifically to Webster University, our interpretation is that faculty may post the items listed above on their WorldClass Room sites, since they are controlled by password.

The following examples would require copyright permission prior to posting on a web page:

• When an article from a journal is needed by a professor for more than one quarter.
• When multiple articles from one journal issue are needed for electronic reserve. (See also next section on use of Persistent URLs.)
• When one chapter of a book is needed by a professor for more than one quarter.
• When multiple chapters of a book are needed for electronic reserve.
• When an out of print book is needed for electronic reserve.

Suggested wording for copyright notice
WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making photocopies or other reproduction of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research. If electronic transmission of reserve material is used for purposes in excess of what constitutes "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Linking to full-text articles in online databases (persistent URLs)

One way of providing access to full-text articles from a journal is to use "persistent URLs" provided by some of our database vendors. Persistent URLs are unique and unchanging links to individual articles available full-text. Webster and Eden faculty can post direct links to full-text articles on their WebCT courses, on E-Reserves or Blackboard sites, or on their own WWW sites. Through persistent URLs, the copyright issue is handled by the vendor.

See our Using Persistent URLS page for information on incorporating this feature into your courses.