The Copyright Permissions Center is a Division of Printing Services. Please visit the link above or one of the seven Printing Services locations throughout campus for all your photocopying or printing needs.
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Guidelines and suggestions
As one would probably expect, the Copyright
Permissions Center has been receiving more and more inquiries regarding
what can and cannot be done in regard to placing copyrighted material
on the web. In response to these inquiries, and in lieu of an official
University policy, we provide the following guidelines and suggestions:
ARTICLES
AND BOOK CHAPTERS. In general,
a fair use analysis needs to be done for each item being placed
on the web to determine if permission is needed. The Copyright
Permissions Center will help you with this analysis and obtain
permissions when needed. Keep in mind that repetitive (term to
term) and unrestricted (not password protected) uses tend to weigh
heavily against fair use.
Note: Linking (not posting as pdfs) to journal articles via University Libraries e-journal collection may be an available option that does not require fair use analysis. |
| FIGURES OR
SMALL EXCERPTS. Usually allowable under fair use and no formal
permission is needed, however, material posted on "open"
sites or for long periods of time may need permission. Proceed
with caution and contact the Copyright Permissions Center when
doubt arises. |
| COURSE PACKETS. Packets
which substitute for traditional textbooks cannot be placed on
websites without copyright clearance. Posting a course packet,
because it replaces the purchase of a text, has an adverse effect
on publishers' sales. However, if the material to be distributed
is an optional reading or would normally be handed out in class,
it may be possible to post online (a fair use analysis needs to
be done for each item used). |
| LINKING VS. POSTING PDFS. Most students and instructors prefer pdfs because this method is often more stable and provides easier access. However, from a copyright compliance standpoint linking is usually better. Why? No "copy" is made - you are just redirecting students to the original site or licensed library collection to access material. Regarding the libraries e-journal collection, linking allows for the monitoring of "hits" which helps determine licensing rates. Further, the libraries license agreement may prohibit the removal of pdfs for posting to course websites.. |
| ELECTRONIC LIBRARY RESERVE.
Instructors submitting materials are responsible for evaluating, on a case-by-case basis, whether the use of a copyrighted work requires permission or qualifies as fair use. |
| REQUESTS.
If permission is deemed necessary, submit requests as early as
possible and be ready for some denials and/or high royalties. |
| CAUTION. When posting material
to the web, especially on "open" (not password protected)
sites, your creation is out there for literally the entire world
to see. Because there have been no major court decisions to date
laying out specifically what is and is not allowable, proceed
with extreme caution when posting material without the rightsholders
consent. |
| CITATIONS.
Always cite where material was taken from - even if the material
was not copyrighted. |
Additional University Resources
Information regarding how to set up and support course websites can be found online at http://www.webct.umn.edu/ or https://moodle.umn.edu/. WebVISTA and Moodle are course management software that enable instructors to create and manage password protected web-based learning materials and activities for students. Also, the University Libraries Copyright Information and Education Office is another helpful University resource for questions regarding copyright and web-based learning activities (e-reserve, course websites, etc.).
If permission is deemed necessary for
material placed on a University website, the Copyright Permissions
Center charges a fee of $5.00-$10.00 for every rightsholder contacted. This
service fee, along with any royalties charged by publishers, would
be billed back to the department requesting permission through a CUFS
number.
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