Copyright Law Fact Sheet

Copyright law is also an important and essential item to know pertaining to digital media. SNHU does not condone any actions or behaviors that plagiarize other works, especially without any credit or citation to the author.

What is a Copyright?

Protection provided to authors of the original works from having their work copied, performed, or used without the his or her consent.

Part of Intellectual Property, copyright law is branch within the legal system that protects the creator(s) of various materials against copyright infringement and unauthorized use.

Most common items protected by copyright law include literary pieces, music, lyrics, movies, computer programs, software, and artistic pieces.

Copyright Law and Internet Use Examples:

• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) of 1998 was created to assist with reducing copyright infringement and protect original authored works from being utilized illegally (U.S. Copyright Office Summary, 1998).
• DCMA includes “miscellaneous provisions” and “computer maintenance” to “online limited liability” and “phonograms treaties” (U.S. Copyright Office Summary, 1998).
• Not all works will be protected from copyright laws, such as: ideas, principles, brands, domain names, slogans, systems, facts, and other forms of common material (U.S. Copyright Office, 2017).
• “Copyright Act of 1976 prohibits the federal government from copyrighting works it creates” (Moore & Murray, 2018).
• When sharing information or creating content, users must remember that not all works will be protected but not all information on the internet can be used without permission.

Best Practices:

• Seek permission from the copyright holder for repeated or extensive use: this will allow for consent of utilization of the material and will prevent legal issues.
• Ensure and find the correct copyright owner: authors and creators often believe that they own the copyright to their works, but depending on contracts/binding agreements, the copyright may be signed over to the publishers of the material.
• Determine whether or not the material is fair use: if it is covered under fair use, one does not need to seek permission or pay any royalties.
• Cite your sources: this will allow for the original author to be credited with their work and will not seem as though one is claiming to have created the content.
• Restate information within one’s own words: do not directly plagiarize or copy the exact work created .
• When in doubt, do not use it: if one cannot get permission for use or determine whether or not the material in question is covered under fair use, do not include it.