Copyright

1. Determine the copyright status of the work that you would like to use.

• Is the work protected by copyright?
• Maybe the work is the public domain?
• Is the work a resource licensed for your use by the LLCC Library?
• Perhaps the work is openly-licensed (look for a Creative Commons License)?

2. If the work is copyright-protected, not openly licensed, not in the public domain, and not licensed by the LLCC Library...?

• Can you invoke fair use? Perform an evaluation of the four factors.

3. If you determine that the work is copyright-protected, is not licensed for use by the LLCC Library, is not openly-licensed, and you cannot invoke fair use, then you need to seek permission to use the copyrighted work.

• Determine who owns the copyright (this is who you will need to obtain permission from).
• Determine which rights you need (out of the six exclusive rights protected under law).
• Contact copyright owner and ask for permission. Sometimes you will need to go through a rights-management agency and will need to pay a fee to use copyrighted works. Sometimes the owner will share their work with you for free.
• Get the terms of use in writing for documentation purposes and retain a copy!

It is not always easy to determine who holds copyright or find out who you should contact. Please feel free to contact Amanda Wiesenhofer, eResources & Library Systems Administrator, anytime you need assistance with this process! She is always more than happy to research the rights status of a work, and find out who owns the copyright and how to get a hold of the owner in order to seek permission. Please be aware that the library does NOT have funds to secure permission--this will need to come out of your own departmental budget. 

U.S. Copyright Office: Seeking Permission

"Asking for Permission" tutorial by Kenneth Crews, Columbia University Copyright Advisory Service, CC-BY License