Copyright Information

Copyright Home Page

The Acquisitions Department of the University of Virginia Library has been charged with developing expertise concerning copyright issues and to serve as a resource to the UVa Library staff regarding Intellectual Property (IP) rights. Organized here are links to resources concerned with copyright law. If you have any additional questions relating to copyright law or Intellectual Property rights issues, please contact Paul Rittelmeyer for further assistance.

 

US and International Law
Links to the US Copyright Office as well as sites describing European, Australian and Japanese laws, the Berne treaty, WIPO, and other useful posts concerning basic copyright laws.

Public Domain
Find out when works pass into the public domain in the US as well as scholarly resources on this very interesting subject.

Fair Use
Simply because UVa is an educational institution does not mean use of materials in the classroom is always protected by Fair Use. Here are links to the four factors in assessing Fair Use as well as to other sites dedicated to information concerning CONTU, CONFU, and other confusing and controversial issues in the use of protected materials.

Getting Permission
If you want to use materials that are not in the Public Domain and go beyond the safe harbor of Fair Use then you need to get permission from the copyright holder. This can be difficult at times, and here are some links that may help.

Organizations
Lots of folks are interested in copyright law and intellectual property issues. Here are a few.

Frequently Asked Questions
The questions here came up during an extensive series of interviews conducted with representatives from almost every department and division within the Library during the summer and early fall of 1996 with revisions added as needed. The responses to the questions are accurate to the best of our knowledge, but we want to emphasize that the answers carry no legal standing.