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J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library

Graduate Student Resources and Services

Copyright Resources

Copyright is a complex topic, but the resources linked below will help you navigate what you need to know about copyright as a graduate student.

Fair Use

The "Fair Use" principle allows users to reproduce small parts of a copyrighted work for the purposes of education, commentary, criticism, or parody.

There are four factors to consider when deciding if your use of material falls under Fair Use:

1) The purpose of your use. Use of copyrighted material should be transformative (i.e. used to create something new) in order to fall under Fair Use. For example, quoting a small portion of a work and then providing criticism, commentary, or analysis falls under Fair Use.

2) Nature of the original work. Factual information is more likely to be covered under Fair Use than creative content.

3) Amount of the original work used. There are no specific rules here, but the smaller the portion of the work you use, the more likely it will fall under Fair Use.

4) Effect of the use on the market of the work. Is your use of the copyrighted work depriving its creator of income or otherwise undermining the market for the work?

When planning for your thesis or dissertation, consider whether your use of copyrighted works in your writing falls under Fair Use. If you're not sure, schedule a consultation with a librarian. Check out the resources linked below for more information on Fair Use.

Electronic Resources Policy

The following table includes some guidelines to keep in mind when using electronic resources accessed through the Library. You can view the full Electronic Resources Policy by clicking the link below.

USUALLY OK USUALLY NOT OK
making limited print or electronic copies

systematic or substantial printing, copying or
downloading

using for personal, instructional or research needs selling or re-distributing content, or providing to an outside employer
sharing with MTU faculty, staff and students sharing with people other than MTU faculty, staff and students
posting links to specific content

posting actual content or articles to websites
or listservs without permission; modifying, altering or creating derivative works

(Table source)