Copyright: Copyright Home

Complying with copyright law can be challenging. Newer, faster, and more convenient ways of gathering information mean a whole new set of copyright questions for educators and students alike.  When using the work of others, you must first determine if copyright permission is required.

If a work is not in the public domain, is protected by copyright law, and does not meet the criteria for "fair use" or another specific exception in the copyright law, you must obtain permission from the copyright holder, or its agent, in order to reproduce or reuse the work.  Grand Rapids Community College has a comprehensive policy for copyright compliance (see 3.0 Copyright).  The policy includes detailed resources related to copyright.

You may need to obtain copyright permission to:

1. Distribute a course pack in print or electronic format
2. Post content on an e-learning system
3. Post content to an institution's intranet
4. Photocopy content for classroom use
5. Reproduce an out-of-print book
6. Use or republish content in university fundraising or recruiting, or in an exhibit
7. Conduct research for non-classroom use (e.g., during an instructor's private consulting engagement)

To obtain copyright permission, follow the instructions on the [Copyright Clearance Center] tab in this Subject Guide.  In many cases, Copyright Clearance Center's RightFind Academic Service can provide immediate authorization for the use of copyright-protected content. 

If you cannot obtain permission through the Copyright Clearance Center, you should approach your department chair to see if there are budgeted funds for copyright compliance. For more assistance, contact your liaison librarian.