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North Central College is devoted to creating, discovering, and
sharing knowledge and information. North Central College is also
committed to complying with the United States law by upholding the
rights of copyright holders.
Violation of copyright is a criminal offense
Using a computer to copy or store any copyrighted material (text,
images, music, movies, etc.) may be a violation of the law and leaves
you liable on conviction, to fines. The College has taken steps
under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to protect itself in
a variety of ways. As part of its compliance with the Act, it has
established a procedure whereby complaints that a member of the
North Central community has violated copyright may result in the
disputed material being removed from any website using North Central
resources until the complaint is resolved. In the event, that the
material violates copyright, it will be removed permanently, and
other disciplinary action may be taken against the offender. See:
North Central College Procedures for Dealing with Possible Infringement
of Intellectual Property Rights, http://www.copyright.gov/title17.
To help you comply with the law, here are some frequently asked
questions about copyright.
The Web is open to the public
so can I copy or download information from the Internet?
Copying, distributing, downloading, and uploading information on
the Internet may infringe on the rights of the copyright owner.
Even an innocent, unintentional infringement violates the law.
How do I determine if a
work is copyrighted?
Every audio, visual or written work has copyright protection unless
that protection has expired or the creator places it in the public
domain. The work does not have to have a copyright notice or a copyright
symbol to be protected by copyright. If you cannot determine whether
or not a work is copyrighted assume that it is copyrighted.
How can I use a copyrighted
work legally?
You may use all or part of a copyrighted work only if you (a) have
the copyright owner’s permission, or (b) qualify for a legal
exception that is called “Fair Use.”
When seeking permission to use a copyrighted work, be specific
about your intended use. State your role in using the work, the
medium or media in which the copyrighted work will be used, how
many times and in what way the copyrighted work will be used, how
many people will see the work, whether or not it being used for
profit; and how the work will be distributed.
See the section of Fair Use
After I obtain permission
to use something, can I use it for anything?
Not necessarily. Permission to use copyrighted works is usually
granted on a one-time basis for a specific use. Permission for one
specific use is restricted to that one use. Further permission must
be obtained to make broader or additional use of a work.
Is it true that educators
do not have to worry about copyrights?
This is one of the trickiest and least understood areas of copyright
law. Using a copyrighted work for educational purposes may be permitted
under the legal doctrine known as “fair use,” but any
use for educational purposes is not permitted automatically.
Do I have to ask permission
to use a copyrighted work each time I use it?
Not necessarily. You may be able to use the work under the fair
use doctrine and some exemptions for performance and display by
colleges and universities and other nonprofit organizations are
stipulated in the copyright laws.
Can I copy a work into a different
medium?
Making a copy in a different medium without appropriate authorization
would be a violation of the copyright owner’s rights, unless
the activity is excluded under other provisions of copyright law.
The making of one copy of a work in a different medium may not be
a copyright violation, but what you do or intend to do with that
copy is important.
Can I store or archive a copyrighted
work?
You must always secure permission from the owner, if not previously
stated, before storing any copyrighted work, unless your use would
fall under an exclusion such as the fair use doctrine.
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