Obtaining Copyright Permissions

Class Reserve Policies
Copyright Law Highlights
Examples of "Unfair" Use
Fair Use Guidelines
Multimedia Guidelines
Photocopying Policies

Other Library
  Policies

Contact Circulation

Copyright Law

The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material including software, sound recordings, films and photographs.

The law explicitly permits libraries and archives to reproduce single copies of works for replacement and preservation and to provide individuals with single copies of works for their private use under certain conditions (Section 107f). Except for a few specific classroom teaching situations (See Educational Fair Use), US Copyright Law obligates a person to seek the permission of copyright holders before making or using multiple photocopies of copyrighted works published within the last 95 years.

Obtaining Permissions

Obtaining permission to make or use photocopies of journal articles or book chapters from many commercial and societal publishers frequently can be done via the Copyright Clearance Center (Danvers, MA). The CCC will also handle requests for use of electronic media and will contact rightsholders (publishers) about copyrighted items not its database. However, in these cases it may be necessary to contact rightsholders directly about permissions. The following directories available at the Folsom Library can be useful in locating addresses and telephone numbers:

Books in Print: Publisher
Encyclopedia of Associations
Ulrich's International Directory of Periodicals.

Typical Royalty Costs

Royalties for use of copyrighted materials vary greatly depending on the nature of the work to be copied, the intended use, and the amount of the material to be copied. Typical royalty charges for copies of journal articles and book chapters are 10¢ - 25¢ per page, but can be as high as $2.00 per page per copy.

Additional Information About Using Copyrighted Works

Instructors planning to use copyrighted materials as part of a course syllabus should review the Research Libraries' Fair Use Guidelines and Class Reserve Policies .

Although the "fair use" principles of the 1976 Copyright Act also apply to electronic resources, additional guidelines specifically covering multimedia were adopted by Congress in 2000. Instructors should also be aware that use of many electronic resources (e.g. full-text journals or multimedia works), is commonly governed by licensing agreements that supplant "fair use" permitted by copyright guidelines.

Pennsylvania State University's Media & Technology Support Service website provides additional information about using copyrighted information for educational purposes.