Internet Copyright Guidelines
These guidelines are to assist you in complying with the copyright law as it applies to the Internet.
- Using Materials on the Internet
- The U.S. Copyright law applies to materials on the Internet in the same way it applies to materials in more traditional forms of communication. In addition, works may be placed on a site without the copyright holder's knowledge or permission. In this situation, permission by the site creator to reproduce the work is invalid since the creator is not authorized to give copyright permission. Even when content on a site is with the permission of the copyright holder it does not necessarily mean that the copyright holder has given the viewers of the site permission to use the work.
If you wish to use a work that you have found on the Internet you must follow the Portland Community College copyright guidelines.
- Posting Materials to the Internet
- This same copyright law applies when placing copyrighted materials on a web site. Copyright law applies not only to textual materials but also to photographs, art, cartoons, music, movie clips, etc. Owning a copy of a something does not authorize you to make it available on the web. For example, owning a photograph does not give you the right to place it on your website without permission. Similarly, owning a music CD does not give you the right to put a particular song from the CD on your website without permission.
In most situations, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holder before placing the work on your website (see Obtaining Permission). Works in the public domain may be used without permission, but you must determine whether a work is really in the public domain. Just because it is published on a website does not make it "public domain."
There may be instances in which your use of copyrighted works on your website without permission falls within the doctrine of Fair Use. However, educational or nonprofit use alone is not enough to constitute Fair Use. All four Fair Use factors must be considered together (see Fair Use). Extreme caution is advised when using copyrighted materials on your website without permission.
- Email is copyrighted. Historical custom probably allows the forwarding of an email message to a limited number of interested parties, but posting someone's email to a large group such as a Listserv or Usenet group without permission should not be done.