Fair Use
The United States Copyright Law provides legal protection for intellectual property. This means that all original thoughts and written works are protected. You should assume that all materials you find when searching online or through print materials are copyrighted, unless the document specifies that it is in the public domain. An information source does not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to be covered by copyright. It is copyrighted as soon as it is created.
The doctrine of fair use allows copyrighted works to be used for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. Fair use generally means that copyrighted material may be used as long as no money is made from that use of the material.
The issues related to copyright of computer software, digitized images, and other products and sources are becoming more and more complicated. It is not okay to copy graphics and content, and backgrounds from websites just because it is technically possible to do so. To be safe, do not copy anything unless you have explicit permission or a clear statement that the item is in the public domain. Whether an information source is copyrighted or in the public domain, it MUST BE CITED if you quote or paraphrase it in your paper, or speech, or website.
For additional information on copyright and fair use issues, check the Stanford University Libraries Site
Citing Sources
When you quote or paraphrase the idea of another person in your research paper or speech, or website, you must provide a proper citation for the source in a bibliography or list of references. Citing sources is not just something your writing instructor invented. There are reasons for using citations your research papers and reasons for following a particular style.
- give credit to those who created the work that is being cited
- give an orderly appearance to your works cited
- provide all the essential elements of information that a reader will need to locate the source
- add credibility to the information you present
A citation on your works cited page must include:
- author's name
- title
- source (publisher and place for books or nonprint materials; periodical title, volume, and pages for articles)
- date of publication
Additional Reading
Linda Cole's Purloining and Pilfering article that focuses on copyright and graphics.
Stanford University provides a very complete site concerning copyright and fair use. It includes a search engine.
University of Texas pages on copyright offer a very thorough look at the issues.
Ten Big Myths About Copyright Explained does just as the title suggests. In addition, the site provides links to other resources.
The Copyright Website provides a less formal look at copyright issues.
Crash Course in Copyright from the University of Texas.
Articles on Legal Issues is a whole page of links to articles on copyright, fair use, online contracts, work for hire and so on.
