Purpose & Disclaimer
Greenville Technical College librarians maintain this guide to give employees and students a resource for copyright-related information and services. The information presented in this guide is for information purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for actual legal advice. Please consult an expert in copyright law for legal advice.
GTC Copyright Policies & Procedures
Greenville Tech has published an administrative policy on copyright and intellectual property along with a copyright compliance form to help employees document efforts to properly use copyrighted materials.
Questions?
If you continue to have questions or concerns about copyright-related issues, contact Greenville Tech's Copyright Officer:
Cindy Davies
Dean of Learning Resources
Phone (864) 250-8494
Cindy.Davies@gvltec.edu
Feedback
What is Copyright Law?
Read the official text of the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 of the United States Code).
United States Copyright Law protects authors or creators of various published and unpublished works. Except as allowed by this code, it is a violation of law for persons to copy, distribute, perform, digitally transmit, or to create a new work based upon a copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright owner.
Categories Protected by Copyright
Copyright does not protect ideas, titles, names, short phrases, works in the public domain, forms that collect information, or links to Web sites. It does, however, protect "forms of expressions" delivered in the following formats:
- Literary works
- Musical works (along with accompanying lyrics)
- Dramatic works (along with accompanying music)
- Pantomimes and choreographic works
- Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
- Motion pictures and audiovisual works
- Sound recordings
- Architectural works
- Computer programs
Author's Exclusive Rights
Copyright law gives an author/creator the exclusive rights to:
- Reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords
- Prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work
- Distribute copies or phonorecords of the work by sale to the public or other transfer of ownership, rental, lease, or lending
- Perform literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work publicly.
Useful Copyright Links
- U.S. Copyright OfficeThe U.S. Copyright Office is an agency of the federal government.
- Copyright RegistrationLearn how to register your original works with the U.S. Copyright Office
- Copyright BasicsA helpful guide from the U.S. Copyright Office
- Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQs from the U.S. Copyright Office
- Know Your Copy RightsA helpful brochure for faculty from the Association of Research Libraries
- Title 17Cornell University School of Law's keyword-searchable index to Title 17
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act18-page summary of the original 60-page DMCA
- Fair UseInformation from the U.S. Copyright Office
- TEACH ActBrief Guide to the TEACH Act
- Public DomainHelpful chart to help you determine when U.S. works are considered in the public domain
- WATCH DatabaseSearch the University of Texas' WATCH database to find out who holds copyrights and how to contact to ask permission
- Copyright and Recording GuidelinesInformation from Cable in the Classroom about using audiovisual resources
Print Resources
The following books are available from the library:
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