Dominican University Copyright Policies
Dominican University has a community-wide set of policies pertaining to copyright, which address appropriate use of copyrighted works in teaching, research, and scholarship. In addition, the policies address copyright ownership by students and employees of the University. Policies are described in the Dominican University Policy Manual (Volume II, section 2.6).
Can I Use This? A Framework for Analysis
Can I Use That? A Map of Use Issues by University of Minnesota Libraries licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0
Want to use a work by another author? Ask yourself the following questions to decide if permission is needed.
1. Is the work covered by copyright?
Check for public domain status.
2. Is your intended use already permitted?
See if your intended use is covered by the Classroom Use Exemption or the TEACH Act (17 U.S.C. §110). Check for any licenses that restrict how a work may be used, such as a Creative Commons license, Terms of Use on a website, or a Library database license.
3. Is your intended use a Fair Use?
Examine all four factors of Fair Use (17 U.S.C. §107), then decide if your use is legal.
If the work is covered by copyright and your intended use is not exempt (e.g., Fair Use), contact the copyright owner and request permission. If permission is denied, consider licensing the work, selecting a different work, or linking to the work (if a legal, digital version is available).
If you determine that your use of the work is legal, then cite the work according to a standard documentation style (e.g., APA, MLA).
Still not sure or have additional copyright questions? Contact a librarian for assistance, or seek legal counsel.
Interlibrary Loan & Copyright
The Library’s interlibrary loan procedures comply with U.S. Copyright law, Title 17, section 108, and the CONTU Guidelines, which address the “systematic reproduction” by libraries in Section 108(g)(2) of the U.S. Copyright law.
The CONTU Guidelines recommend limits to the number of articles from a single periodical that are requested by a library in a calendar year. Once limits are reached, future requests are subject to copyright. Thus, the Sullivan Library reserves the right to cancel requests for materials that do not comply with the CONTU Guidelines, and will assist users in obtaining relevant materials through other methods.
Course Reserves & Copyright
Instructors placing items on reserve accept responsibility for compliance with copyright laws. The Sullivan Library cannot place instructor editions or review copies of textbooks on reserve. This includes material labeled: Instructor’s Edition, Annotated Instructor’s Edition, Publisher’s Review Copy, Teacher’s Manual, Examination Edition or Review Copy.
Please speak with a librarian for specific guidelines or questions on copyright and fair use pertaining to reserve materials.