Copyright Information and Resources
Brandeis University is committed to complying fully with current copyright laws and appropriate guidelines. This web page is designed to give you easy access to the source documents underlying copyright law and guidelines, to policies and information from other universities, and to specific Brandeis policies as they develop. If you have any comments about the page or any questions regarding copyright and the Brandeis University Libraries, please contact Sherry Keen (ext. 64642, email: keen@brandeis.edu).
I. Copyright Basics
II. U.S. Government Copyright Resources
III. International Materials
IV. Copyright and Fair Use Case Law
V. College/University Copyright and Fair Use Sites
VI. Copyright/Fair Use Discussion Groups and Listservs
VII. Associations and Other Sites
VIII. Books Available at the Brandeis University Libraries
IX. Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Services and Copyright
X. Reserve/Electronic Reserve Services and Copyright
I. Copyright Basics
- Questions Asked About Copyright at the Brandeis Library (Please submit your questions to libraryweb@brandeis.edu. We will answer them and, if appropriate, add them to our Frequently Asked Questions page.)
- More Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright
Many sites feature lengthy compilations of frequently asked questions (FAQs) relating to copyright and fair use. A selected list of sites which feature both excellent introductory material on copyright and fair use, as well as particularly well-written summaries of FAQs, is offered here, as follows:
- ALA Washington Office: Intellectual Property & Copyright
- Copyright Circular 1- Copyright Basics, U.S. Copyright Office
A great place to begin your research into copyright, this and several other Copyright Office information circulars are available in Adobe Acrobat pdf file format. To view and print the circulars you must install the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. Visit the Adobe Systems Incorporated site and click on the "free Adobe Acrobat Reader" link to download the Reader for free.
- Franklin Pierce Law Center. Basic IP Information. Intellectual Property: The Practical and Legal Fundamentals
- Timeline: A History of Copyright in the United States (ARL site)
This excellent site features an overview of copyright law from 1710, the year in which the Statute of Anne was enacted by the British Parliament, through 1996. It also offers concise summaries of major court cases of importance to academic libraries and information service providers.
- University of Texas System. Office of General Counsel. Crash Course in Copyright
This comprehensive site offers answers to commonly asked questions about copyright, and thorough discussion of such topics as fair use, individual liability for infringement - including an explanation of "the good faith fair use defense" - and a useful section on securing permission, which includes links to collective rights organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center.
- University of Georgia. Regents Guide to Understanding Copyright and Educational Fair Use.
This site features a comprehensive fair use section, including examples illustrating application of the principles of fair use to situations involving print, multimedia and electronic reserves, in an academic research environment.
II. U.S. Government Copyright Resources
III. International Materials
- Berne Convention
- Universal Copyright Convention
- World Intellectual Property Organization
A specialized agency of the United Nations system of organizations, the WIPO is responsible for promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among member States, as well as for the administration of various multilateral treaties dealing with the legal and administrative aspects of intellectual property. The United States Became a WIPO member on August 25, 1970.
IV. Copyright and Fair Use Case Law
- Timeline: A History of Copyright in the United States (ARL site)
In addition to an excellent overview of copyright law from 1710 through 1996, this site features concise summaries of major court cases of interest to academic libraries and information service providers, from Williams and Wilkins Co. v. National Library of Medicine (1973) to Princeton University v. Michigan Document Services, Inc. (1996)
- Findlaw
Visit this site to see the full text of the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Code and Code of Federal Regulations, Supreme Court opinions from 1893 to the present, and Court of Appeals decisions. Also available is the full text of legal and other news publications, such as the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and the Boston Globe Online.
V. College/University Copyright and Fair Use Sites
- Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. "Law About...Copyright"
- Franklin Pierce Law Center
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Copyright Central Not updated since 8/99.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Copyright Policies and Guidelines
- Stanford University Libraries. Copyright & Fair Use
- UCLA Online Institute for Cyberspace Law and Policy
The Institute, which exists only in cyberspace, attempts to "provide resources for academics, practitioners, students, and interested 'netizens'", "to identify compelling legal and policy issues" in cyberspace, and to "further the development of Cyberspace Law as a separate discipline." "Cases, Statutes & Topical Highlights" features major copyright court cases from 1997 to present, and discussion of the following "Intellectual Property Issues": "Parameters of Fair Use Doctrine," "U.S. Copyright Law and the Education Community", and "Other Relevant Copyright Disputes."
- University of Georgia Libraries Copyright Policy
- University of North Carolina Law School Copyright Guidelines
- University of Texas System. Office of General Counsel. Crash Course in Copyright
- Yale University Library. Copyright Resources Online. (Includes model Academic copyright policies.)
VI. Copyright/Fair Use Discussion Groups and Listservs
- cni-copyright List and Archives
This discussion list is a resource of the Coalition for Networked Information. Subscription information and archives are available.
- ALA Washington Office Newsline (ALAWON)
This free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office includes coverage of U.S. federal government activities of interest to librarians, such as legislation and hearings on library-related topics, federal library program appropriations, the National Information Infrastructure and more. Includes subscription information.
VII. Association and Other Sites
VIII. Print Resources Available at the Brandeis University Libraries
- Bielefield, Arlene, and Lawrence Cheeseman. Technology and Copyright Law: A Guidebook for the Library, Research, and Teaching Professions.
NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 1997.
This clearly written and concise (only 214 pages) book offers an overview of the effects of technology on copyright law throughout history, as well as an examination of the the ways in which technology has affected application of the principles of fair use in the college/university classroom and library. It features discussion of library reserve guidelines, electronic reserves, interlibrary loan/document delivery, distance learning and contractual agreements. If you are looking for a quick education on issues relating to the effects of new technologies on copyright law, this is the book to read.
Main Library call no. - KF 3030.1 .B533 1997
- Bruwelheide, Janis H. The Copyright Primer for Librarians and Educators.
2nd ed. Chicago: American Library Association/National Education Association, 1995.
In addition to the text of existing laws and association guidelines relating to interlibrary loan/document delivery services, college and university photocopying and library reserve room copying, this useful manual features an extensive list of frequently asked questions about copyright relating to each of these library services. This book should be required reading for staff members working in interlibrary loan/document delivery, reserve/ereserve and photoduplication services.
Main Library call no. - Z 649 .F35 B78 1995
- Gasaway, Laura. Copyright Law in the Age of Technology. 1996.
This text was prepared by Ms.Gasaway, Director and Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina's Kathrine R. Everett Law Library, and a recognized expert in the field of copyright law, for use in her Copyright Law Workshop. In addition to examining the effects of copyright law on interlibrary loan/document delivery and reserve services, this work discusses copyright as it relates to electronic reserves, distance learning and computer software and databases, and identifies major court decisions relating to each of these services.
- Jensen, Mary Brandt. Does Your Project Have a Copyright Problem? A Decision-Making Guide for Librarians.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1996.
IX. Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Services and Copyright
- Brandeis Univ. ILL/Document Delivery Services
The frequently asked questions featured here provide general information about the Library's ILL/Document Delivery service, the networks through which requested materials are obtained, and instructions for submitting document requests. Also included are online document request forms, and ILL/Document Delivery Services staff member contact information.
- CONTU Guidelines on Photocopying under Interlibrary Loan Arrangements
The CONTU (National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works) guidelines allow the Library to obtain five journal articles per journal title from the last five years without charging a copyright fee. No restrictions are placed on articles over five years old. While CONTU guidelines apply to both ILL borrowing and lending activity, the borrowing library bears primary responsibility for compliance.
- Discussion Groups and Listservs
X. Reserve/Electronic Reserve Services and Copyright
Special thanks are due to Joanne O'Keefe who created the original page for the Libraries in June 1999.
revised 8/5/05
