Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection provided to creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.
Copyright protects any original work of authorship that is in tangible form, regardless of whether or not a notice of copyright appears on the work. Tangible form may include anything written on paper, recorded, performed, or hosted in an electronic medium.
Copyright protects
Copyright does not protect
Rights of a Copyright Holder
A copyright holder has the exclusive right to decide who can:
make a copy of the work, which includes photocopies and digital copies
publish copies or electronically distribute the work
perform or display the work in public
prepare derivative works, which means using the original work as the basis for a new work
Copyright Law in Academia
The Copyright Act (17 USC §§ 101 et seq.) includes numerous exceptions that limit the exclusive rights of copyright holders and permit instructors to use copyrighted work without seeking permission from the copyright holder. These exceptions include The Classroom Exception, codified at § 110(1), The Teach Act, codified at § 110(2) and the Fair Use Doctrine, codified at § 107.
This tutorial is intended to provide information and guidance to help you determine if the uses you'd like to make of copyrighted materials are allowed by law and to direct you to support at the college. Nothing on this guide should be considered legal advice.
Whenever you read Harper College, substitute Diablo Valley College. Whenever you read Blackboard, substitute Canvas.
