Copyright Information
Copyright Policy
Recognizing that the dual purpose of copyright is to foster creativity and scholarship while protecting intellectual property rights, it is the policy of Bryn Athyn College to comply with the United States Copyright Law of 1976, as amended (Title 17, United States Code.) It is the responsibility of Bryn Athyn College to provide information on copyright to the community, and to promote awareness and understanding of the responsible use of intellectual property. Likewise, it is the responsibility of all faculty, staff, and students of Bryn Athyn College to understand the civil and criminal penalties attached to copyright infringement and to respect copyright holders by refraining from actions that trespass on those rights.
Background
Copyright protection begins when an original work (whether published or unpublished) is “fixed in any tangible medium of expression.” For example, works that are drawn, written, printed, or typed on paper or another surface; stored on a computer; or recorded using analog or digital processes are protected. A work does not have to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office for it to be protected under the Copyright Law.
Works that can be copyrighted include:
- Literary works
- Musical works (with or without words)
- Dramatic works (including music)
- Pantomimes and choreographic works
- Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
- Motion pictures and other audiovisual works
- Sound recordings
- Architectural works
Infringement of copyright, which is the violation of copyright law, most often occurs when a work is reproduced, modified, distributed, publicly performed, played, or displayed; or a derivative work is made based on the original work without the copyright owner’s permission. However, the doctrine of “fair use” establishes certain limited uses of copyrighted material that are exempted from liability.
Copyright Clearance Center
The Copyright Clearance Center is a not-for-profit organization that facilitates the use of copyrighted materials by academic institutions and businesses through collective licensing agreements that the Copyright Clearance Center obtains from authors and publishers. The institutions, which include Bryn Athyn College, pay an annual fee to the Copyright Clearance Center to use these materials as specified in the licensing agreements. The Swedenborg Library is the Bryn Athyn College liaison with the Copyright Clearance Center. The Copyright Clearance Center has recently upgraded their name and logo to "CCC Marketplace". Visit the site to view tutorials and discover new features.
Resources
Faculty, students, and staff must have a basic understanding of copyright and in particular fair use, in order to comply with the U.S. Copyright Law and the Bryn Athyn College Copyright Policy.
These online resources include information, tutorials, and links to help you.
- The United States Copyright Office
- Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
- ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries. ©January 2012.
- Stanford University Libraries – Copyright and Fair Use
- University of Texas Libraries – The Copyright Crash Course ©2001, 2007 Georgia K. Harper
If you have additional questions about copyright, please contact Andi Sibley at 267-502-2654 or Andi.Sibley@brynathyn.edu