Copyright: Compliance

Greenville Technical College provides an administrative policy on copyright and intellectual property and a copyright compliance form to help employees, students, and others document efforts to properly use copyrighted materials and comply with United States Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code, Sect 101, et seq.).

GTC faculty, staff, and students do not have permission to copy or distribute inclusive access materials provided by the Bookstore. Publisher and vendor agreements only allow digital access by individuals that have purchased the content. 

• U.S. Copyright Office 

  The U.S. Copyright Office is an agency of the federal government.

• Copyright Basics 
  A helpful guide from the U.S. Copyright Office

• Frequently Asked Questions 
  FAQs from the U.S. Copyright Office

• Copyright Registration 

  Learn how to register your original works with the U.S. Copyright Office

• ALA Copyright Tools 

  Public Domain Slider, Section 108 Spinner, Fair Use Evaluator, and Exceptions for Instructors eTool by the American Library Association

• Title 17 

  Cornell University School of Law's keyword-searchable index to Title 17

• Fair Use 

  Information from the U.S. Copyright Office

• Fair Use: A Guide 

  Explains fair use and provides analysis resources and examples to help you evaluate whether fair use can be acceptably applied to your circumstances.

• Exceptions for Instructors 
  Self-guided evaluation of instructor planned copyright use by the American Library Association

• TEACH Act 
  Brief guide to the TEACH Act by the Copyright Clearance Center

• Digital Millennium Copyright Act 
  18-page summary of the original 60-page DMCA of 1998

• WATCH Database 

  Search the University of Texas' WATCH database to find out who holds copyrights and how to contact to ask permission

You may share copyrighted materials in the following situations:

1. When you are the legal copyright owner
   Note that you may not be the legal copyright owner of works that you created as part of your employment. Check the college's policy on Copyright and Intellectual Property and the U.S. Copyright Office web site for more information.
    
2. When you have acquired written permission to use a work
   See the "Getting Copyright Permission" section on this page for resources that will help you request permission to use copyrighted materials.
    
3. When you link to an online resource that has been legally published or shared
   Instead of distributing copies, share links to electronic resources including publicly available websites and GTC Library & PASCAL resources.
    
4. When you use materials that are in the public domain
   American works in the public domain are no longer protected by copyright and may be distributed to students.
     
5. When a Creative Commons notice appears on the work
   Works with Creative Commons licensing may be copied, distributed, displayed, performed, and made into derivative works, but usually only when the work is attributed to the original creator and is not used for commercial purposes. Many Creative Commons and other open resources can be found on GTC Libraries' Open Educational Resources research guide.
    
6. When fair use factors lean in your favor
   Fair Use guidelines help educators determine the impact of using copyrighted materials in four areas -- purpose, nature, proportion, and impact. Remember that fair use is not clearly spelled out and it only affords protection for one time only and for resources that were lawfully made. 
    
7. When you are protected by the TEACH Act
   All college members involved in distance learning have a role to play in securing protection under the TEACH Act.

Sharing copyright works that are not subject to fair use without the permission of the copyright owner is a violation of Greenville Technical College policies and U.S. Copyright Law. GTC employees should acquire limited use licenses as needed through the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) using departmental funding.

Other sources for obtaining copyright permission include:

• Getting Permission 

  Information from the U.S. Copyright Office

• WATCH -- Writers, Artists & Their Copyright Holders 

  Search the University of Texas' WATCH database to find out who holds the copyright and how to contact them for use permission

Contact the Greenville Technical College Copyright Officer :
Tara Weekes
Director of Learning Resources
Barton Campus, Building 105, Room 129
(864) 236-6500
Tara.Weekes@gvltec.edu

Greenville Technical College Libraries maintain this guide to provide 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.