Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the material.
The copies in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this work is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code).
The TEACH Act requires a copyright notice to be on online course websites. The TEACH Act Toolkit offers the following sample copyright notice:
The materials on this course Web site are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.
I am not a lawyer and this guide does not constitute legal advice. If you have legal questions, please contact a lawyer.
— Nana Owusu-Nkwantabisa
Copyright is the section of federal law that stipulates what control authors have over their original works. It is specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, which states:
Congress shall have the right to [...] promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries
§ 102 of U.S. copyright law grants all "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression" copyright protection. Categories works which are specially mentioned include:
§ 106 of U.S. copyright law grants the following exclusive rights to copyright holders:
Any unpermitted use of a copyrighted work in one of the above ways may be considered a copyright infringement.
The entire text of U.S. Code Title 17 - Copyrights is available through Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. The following sections are especially relevant to higher education:
Permission to reuse content from Hoover Library, McDaniel College.