The following information is to provide the DCC community with a basic understanding of copyright law and fair use. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to follow copyright laws and guidelines.
Material presented here is intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.
Copyright is a Federal Law, Title 17, U.S. Code, that provides: “a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors or “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.” The Copyright Revision Act of 1976 provides most of the current laws we follow today. The Library of Congress oversees the Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/. Copyright protection subsists, in accordance with this title, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
As outlined in Section 106, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
Since 1989, a work is protected as soon as it is created. Notice is no longer required, nor is registration. You cannot copyright ideas, facts, titles, names, short phrases or blank forms.