Copyright laws guard our rights to use existing materials but also protect the creations of artists or scholars from certain misuses.

Carefully examine the pricing, copyright, and subscription licensing agreements of any journal you contribute to as an author, reviewer, or editor. Where possible, publish in open-access journals with funding models that do not charge readers or their institutions for access. Serve on editorial boards or review manuscripts for open-access journals.

Modify, if appropriate, any contract you sign with a publisher to ensure your right to use your work, including posting on a public archive. See the Scholar’s Copyright Addendum Engine for examples.

Use a Creative Commons license to mark your work with the freedoms you want it to carry.

Overview

• Copyright Law
• Fair Use
• Public Domain
• Video and Copyright: ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 7
• Copyright Information – University of Tennessee Office of the General Counsel

Ownership

• Registering Copyright
• Copyright Permissions
• Citing Your Sources (UT Libraries Research Guide)

Use in Education

• Copyright and Course Materials
• Copyright and Multimedia

UT Policies & Principles

• UT Libraries Principles of Fair Use
• University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Statement of Policy on Patents, Copyrights and Other Intellectual Property (revised June 19, 2003)
• UT Library Council (System) Statement on Copyright, Fair Use and Open Access

Tools and Links