Introduction
The purpose of this site is to provide faculty, staff and students at PVCC with an understanding of copyright law and fair use. While copyright issues can be complex, everyone needs to understand the basics. This site also includes copyright and fair use compliance guidelines for faculty.
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Copyright Law Defined
Copyright law, as defined in Title 17 of the United States Code, protects "original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression" for a limited period. Copyright protection includes, for instance, the legal right to publish and sell literary, artistic or musical work, and copyright protects authors, publishers and producers, and the public. Copyright applies both to traditional media (books, records, etc.) and to digital media (electronic journals, web sites, etc.). Specifically, it protects the following eight categories of works:
- literary works
- musical works
- dramatic works
- pantomimes and choreographic works
- pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
- motion pictures and other audiovisual works
- sound recordings
- architectural works
Ownership of a copyrighted work includes the right to control the use of that work. Others may use the work, but to do so requires either permission from the author or reliance on the doctrine of fair use. Failure to do one or the other will expose the user to a claim of copyright infringement.
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