COD Library Copyright Guide: Quick Copyright for Students

You are a copyright owner. If you have taken a photograph, written an essay or email you have created a work that is protected by copyright - a right that is automatic and does not require any further actions from you.

Copyright grants you exclusive rights over all of your original works (literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works) whether published or unpublished. Before you sign a publication contract, however, you should be aware of which rights, if any, you might be relinquishing. Review your contract to ensure that you can share your work with colleagues and students, post your work online, or publish in the Digital Commons.

For more information, read SPARC Author Rights & Author Addendum http://sparcopen.org/our-work/author-rights

YOU CAN

• view streaming videos from Library databases on personal or College computers
• view a video/DVD in a private viewing room with up to 3 other people
• view videos with public performance rights in groups greater than 4 people

YOU CANNOT

• download anything when you know doing so is illegal
• circumvent any DRM (Digital Rights Management) technologies
• publicly show DVDs purchased (or borrowed) for "home use only" without securing public performance rights

For more information on libraries and video copyright, see http://libguides.ala.org/copyright/video

YOU CAN

• download music, video and other content legally

YOU CANNOT

• download anything when you know doing so is illegal
• circumvent any DRM (Digital Rights Management) technologies
• make copyrighted material available to others for downloading
• use peer-to-peer file sharing applications to distribute or provide access to copyrighted material