Students or employees of Bethune Cookman University who willfully disregard the copyright policy are in violation and do so at their own risk and assume all liability.
Welcome to the Library Copyright for Educators research guide! All students and employees are expected to comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing copyrighted materials which grant authors, publishers, and creators control over the copying, distribution, transmission and performance of their original works.
Bethune Cookman University recognizes the importance of the Fair Use doctrine (section 107 of the U.S. Code Title 17 on Copyright) and its responsibility to provide information and guidance in support of teaching and learning. If the reproduction of the copyrighted material does not meet the fair-use guidelines, written authorization must be obtained.
Most works are protected by copyright
Almost all creative and intellectual work is protected by copyright. Remember that facts are not subject to copyright.
Copyright is automatic
Works do not have to have copyright notice posted or be registered in any way in order to be protected by copyright. This means that everything from a novel to a napkin doodle has full and automatic copyright protections.
Copyright lasts a long time...
Works are protected for the life of the author, plus seventy years. If a work was “made for hire” it is protected for 95 years from publication or 120 years from the creation of the work (whichever is less). The rules are different for works made before 1978 and incredibly complicated. Visit the Copyright Advisory Network for resources on understanding and learning about copyright.
...but not forever
Works with expired copyright pass into the public domain and are available to be used in whatever way you’d like. Also not protected by copyright are works created by the US government (and some states), facts, ideas, and methods.
The following types of content are eligible for copyright protection, whether published or unpublished, provided that the content is recorded in a "tangible medium of expression" (U.S. Copyright Office).
Examples of materials not eligible for copyright protection include intangible content, content protected by other laws, or content in the public domain.