Copyright

Scholarly Communication and Digital Publishing Services at University Libraries helps Washington University faculty, students, and staff with copyright issues that connect to research, teaching, and library services.

This frequently involves:

• Permissions and fair use for including third-party content in journal articles and theses and dissertations;
• Campus film screenings and public performance rights;
• Use of copyrightable content in course materials and the classroom;
• Investigating rights status and assessing disposition of works;
• Identifying and contacting rights-holders;
• Evaluating material for digitization, publication, or inclusion in other projects;
• Help with terms and conditions for publication agreements;
• Support for licensing, Creative Commons, and open access;
• Questions about Copyright Claims Board (CCB) notices related to your work for Washington University.

We offer customized presentations, permissions assistance, help with copyright registration, and individual consultations.

NOTE: The Office of the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (OGC) manages the legal affairs of Washington University in St. Louis. Scholarly Publishing staff offer general information but do not provide legal advice specific to your situation.

Resources

The Washington University IP Policy is the mechanism through which works created by University constituents may be made available for public use. It allocates rights, specifies obligations, and outlines steps for compliance. Office of Technology Management (OTM) facilitates the transfer of inventions and discoveries to private companies for the benefit of society while generating income to support research and education.

Copyright Basics

• University Libraries’ Understanding Copyright resource
• Copyright information from Washington University
• ProQuest & Crews manual on Copyright and Your Dissertation or Thesis
• A Framework for Analyzing Copyright Problems (PDF)

Is a Work Protected?

• Chart of Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the U.S.
• Berkeley Law Handbook for evaluating U.S. works created between 1923 – 1977
• American Library Association (ALA) Public Domain Slider
• Digital Image Rights Computator program

Is it Fair Use?

• U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Case Index
• Stanford Copyright & Fair Use site
• CMSi Codes of Best Practices in Fair Use
• ALA Fair Use Evaluator
• Authors Alliance Fair Use FAQ

Author Rights

• SPARC Author Addendum resource
• Becker Medical Library tools for authors
• Scholarly Communications at Washington University

Questions?

Contact Copyright Help (WULIB_CopyrightHelp@wumail.wustl.edu) with any comments, questions, or concerns you may have.