Copyright Guide 

Introduction

The librarians at Francis A. Drexel Library at Saint Joseph's University have compiled this copyright guide to assist students, faculty, and staff in understanding and complying with current United States Copyright laws and provisions.  This is not a static guide, but will be updated as copyright laws and interpretations change.  The information provided here should serve as a general guideline regarding copyright issues and should not be taken as legal advice.  Each library patron is ultimately responsible for ensuring that his or her use of authored materials does not exceed the scope of fair use as defined by United States copyright law.  Library patrons who are not in compliance with the following copyright policy and/or federal copyright law shall assume any resulting liability. 

This is not a legal document, and should not be construed as legal advice. 

Patrons are authorized to photocopy copyrighted library materials under the following conditions:

1. The patron has obtained a license or written permission from the copyright owner,
2. The material being copied falls under fair-use guidelines (see Fair Use Checklist), or
3. An exemption in the copyright law exists for the material being copied.

Copyrighted materials are not required by law to bear the copyright symbol (© ).  In addition, an author's work does not need to be published in order to be copyrighted.  United States copyright law provides protection to "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device"(17 U.S.C., sec.102).  This includes literary works, musical works (including any accompanying words), dramatic works (including any accompanying music), pantomimes and choreographic works, pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works, motion pictures and other audiovisual works, sound recordings, and architectural works.

If you have questions regarding copyright law that are not answered in this guide, or if you would like general clarification of copyright restrictions, please refer to the following web sites for the specific text of United States copyright legislation:

•       Copyright Law of the United States of America (Title 17 of the United States Code)
•       Digital Millennium Copyright Act (H.R.2281)
•       Current and/or Pending Copyright Legislation
•       The Library of Congress, United States Copyright Office