An overview of copyright, including mention of educational fair use, course reserves, public domain, and more.

1. An Introduction to
Copyright
Timothy Peters
CMU Libraries
March 1, 2016

2. What is Copyright?
Copyright is a legal protection extended to
creators of a wide range of original works. It
grants the creator ownership rights for the item
that has been produced.

3. When Does Copyright Begin?
Copyright begins as soon as something is fixed in
tangible form.

4. How Long Does Copyright Protection
Last?
Copyright is legally recognized for the life of the
author plus 70 years. During this time, the
holder of the copyright retains the exclusive
right to publish, reproduce, perform, display,
and distribute the work.

5. What Does Copyright Protect?
Literary works, research and reports (graphs,
tables, data), artwork, animations, movies and
videos, musical works (including lyrics),
computer programs, photographs and images,
and architectural works.

6. What Copyright Does Not Protect
Ideas, commonly known facts, names, short
phrases, titles, and works in the public domain.

7. Do I Have to Register a Copyright?
No, you do not.
Though there may be instances when you want
to register with the U.S. Copyright Office...

8. Can I Lose My Copyright?
Most commonly, it’s signed over to a publisher...

9. Fair Use
Fair use is a set of criteria identified in the
Copyright Act of 1976 that allows individuals to
use limited portions of a work in the name of
criticism, teaching, scholarly research, and news
reporting.

10. The Four Criteria of Fair Use
• The purpose of the use (profit vs. non-profit);
• The nature of the copyrighted work;
• The amount and substantiality of the item
used;
• The effect of the use on the potential market
value of the work.

11. How Much of Something Can I use?
In the classroom...
• Print material: Up to 10% of the total or 1,000 words, whichever is less.
• Images, illustrations, and photographs: No more than three images from a single
source.
• Motion media: Up to 10% of the total item or three minutes, whichever is less.
• Music, lyrics, and music video: Up to 10% of the total work but no more than 30
seconds of the music or lyrics from an individual musical work.
• Numerical data sets: Up to 10% or 2,500 fields or cell entries, whichever is less, of
the total work.

12. A Few More Things...
• Attribution strengthens your fair use claim
• Fair Use > All rights reserved
• Use only what you need
• Limit access to students enrolled in your class
for the duration of the class
• Linking is a way around copyright

13. A Word About Premeditation...

14. Moving Beyond Fair Use
If your intended use can’t be considered fair use,
you can always ask permission of the copyright
holder.
...or better yet...

15. Course Reserves and Copyright
Services
The CMU Library will:
 Obtain one semester’s worth of usage permission
 Pay any applicable usage fees
 Locate a full-text copy of the item
 Upload it directly into your Blackboard shell

16. What Can I Use Without Permission?
• Things published before 1923 (public domain)
• Works donated to the public domain
• Government publications
• Ideas, facts, slogans, numbers, names, etc.
• Self-authored materials
• OER/Creative commons items

17. Popular Questions
“I have a DVD/VHS. Can I digitize it and show it
in my online class?”
“Can I embed a YouTube video in my Blackboard
shell/website/etc.?”

18. Popular Questions
“Can I use something in Blackboard for multiple
semesters?”
“How many images can I use from a website?”

19. In Conclusion...
Not only is copyright compliance the law, it is
encouraged at CMU as a way to respect the
efforts of scholars, and to protect the integrity
of our institution.
Please always practice copyright compliance
when teaching and doing research.

20. Image Credits
• https://www.pinterest.com/digmichnews/only-at-cmu/
• http://www.idesigni.co.uk/blog/how-to-copyright-your-art-work/
• http://theoryofsupply.com/c8_archive/archive_p2.html
• http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc233085/m1/1/
• http://cliparts.co/police-hat-clip-art
• http://www.universitiesandcolleges.org/blog/free-online-college-courses/
• http://www.unisette.com/lic_and_copy
• http://typoretum.co.uk/woodentypes/the-printing-press/
• http://zu.libguides.com/plagiarism
• https://www.pinterest.com/EPLdotCA/we-3-libraries/
• http://www.greatdetectives.net/detectives/big-list-shows/sherlock-holmes/
• http://www.stylepinner.com/please-help-yourself-sign/cGxlYXNlLWhlbHAteW91cnNlbGYtc2lnbg/
• http://www.clker.com/clipart-icon-with-question-mark.html

21. Thank you!
peter1t@cmich.edu