Copyright, Fair Use & Plagiarism

Resources by Topic

Resources explaining and giving samples of intellectual property issues. Includes the TEACH ACT

Resources defining copyright and fair use and current legislation. Includes the TEACH Act and MP3 alternatives.

Copyright & Fair Use (http://fairuse.stanford.edu/): Resources include guides, definitions, current legislation and library sites on copyright. (Stanford University site)
Crash Course in Copyright (http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/cprtindx.htm): In addition to the basic information, it details multimedia reproduction. (University of Texas)
MP3 Alternatives (http://counselonline.cua.edu/archives/frontpage/fall2003.cfm#91635E6F-3B51-4235-B55D014561AA3B6D): Gives legal options for persons who want to listen to music online without supporting what they view as corporate monopolies.
The Teach Act Explained (http://www.utsystem.edu/OGC/IntellectualProperty/teachact.htm): Discusses the areas expanded for distance education by the Teach Act. Includes a checklist as a starting point for decision-making on whether your use falls under the Act and requires additional steps for compliance.
The Teach Act Toolkit (http://www.provost.ncsu.edu/copyright/toolkit/): Includes best practices section, a glossary, guidelines, a checklist in addition to explanation and the Senate report.
U.S. Copyright Office (http://www.copyright.gov/): Federal site gives linformation on the law and policy, recent legislation, and publications for distribution. Includes links to registration process and appropriate forms, and a search box to locate copyright records.

Resource for getting permission to use materials or registering for a copyright.

Copyright Clearance Center (http://www.copyright.com): Has a request permission service; gives information on current copyright practices & issues; Click on
Creative Commons (CC) (http://creativecommons.org): A non-profit organization the provides authors with a means to manage their intellectual property. CC provides licensing for individual works.
SESAC (http://www.sesac.com/): A performing rights organization designed to represent songwriters and publishers and their right to be compensated for having their music performed in public.
Creative Commons (CC) - Science Commons (http://sciencecommons.org/projects/): Science Commons works to clear the legal and technical barriers to research, including making research and data available for legal reuse and connecting research, data, and materials from disparate sources for permission-free access.

Resources pro & con for information on "fair use"

Fair Use - Columbia University (http://copyright.columbia.edu/copyright/fair-use/): The Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University describes fair use and provides a checklist educators may use to evaluate their use of copyrighted materials.
Fair Use Evaluator (http://librarycopyright.net/fairuse/index.php): Affiliated with the American Library Association, this page provides a tool to determine the "fairness" of a use under the U.S. Copyright Code and a document that helps users collect, organize & archive information needed to support a fair use.

Search the Patent databases for registered patents and patent applications.

About: Inventors (http://inventors.about.com/od/freesearches/index_r.htm): A list of online databases for a free patent search covering Canada - United States - Europe - WIPO and the EPO free patent search, Japanese abstracts, and USPTO Depository Library Program.
Freepatentsonline (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/): Full text and images of a wide selection of patents and patent applications from the US, Europe and Japan. Check their FAQ for exact coverage.

Resources defining plagiarism and ways to avoid it.

Plagiarism: Books in the CU Collection (): Lists works about plagiarism, intellectual property and copyright violations.
Plagiarism Defined (http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml): Describes how students can avoid plagiarism and gives examples of acceptable and unacceptable paraphrasing.
Plagiarism Video Tutorial (http://library.camden.rutgers.edu/EducationalModule/Plagiarism/): A three part lesson on how to avoid plagiarism, prepared by librarians at the Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University. Takes approximately ten minutes to complete.