Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
A table that clearly lays out the copyright status of a work based on publication year and/or renewal by Cornell University Library
The Copyright Genie
A question/answer wizard that determines the copyright protection on a work depending on age and policy. The end results can be exported into a PDF for personal record by Michael Brewer and the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy
Checklist for Fair Use
A PDF version of the checklist may be downloaded and shared with attribution by the Copyright Advisory Office, Columbia University Libraries/Information Services
Asking for Permission
Procedures for contacting and seeking permission from copyright holders plus same letters for videos, text material, and using material in a course management system by Columbia University Libraries
Creative Commons Attribution Builder
Interactive online tool to help users of CC material build an attribution by Open Washington
You have found an article, an image, or a video that perfectly illustrates or encapsulates an insight you want to share with others. That article, image, or video is most likely someone else's intellectual property, so you want to be sure you are not infringing on that person's rights by sharing their work. How do you do this?
1. Purpose of use (nonprofit educational use is more likely to be fair use than commercial use)
2. Nature of the copyrighted work (factual work is more likely to be fair use than creative work)
3. Amount & substantiality of the portion used in proportion to the whole
4. Effect of the use on the potential market for the work
1. Check RightFind Academic to verify permission with our Copyright Clearance Center Academic Site License
2. Contact the copyright holder directly for permission
It is never a violation of copyright to share a link to non-infringing online content. You just need to be sure any link you provide is functioning, and that it does not lead to a paywall that impedes access.
Whichever method you use to ensure you are compliant, always attribute the source. Include a full citation and copyright register's warning with an additional warning about further electronic distribution.
This library guide is published for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as a substitute for legal advice.