Copyright

Authorized Copyright Agent: Chris Chairsell, Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs

Copyright Statement

Portland Community College observes the rights of creators to control their creations no matter what the form. To that end, the college obeys the provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code, Section 101, et. seq.) The PCC Copyright Committee provides information about the law and will provide assistance in getting permission to use materials as necessary. Faculty/staff and students who willfully disregard the copyright law do so at their own risk and assume all liability. Test your knowledge with our copyright quiz!

PCC’s rules do not cover all aspects or details of the law but do establish operating procedures for the use of copyrighted materials at Portland Community College. In most cases, and in general, the law allows “fair use” of materials for educational purposes. Users do not need to seek permission from the creator of the materials under fair use guidelines.  

Fair Use for Education

The copyright law embodies the concept of "fair use". Fair use permits the reproduction of creative works for criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, research and teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use.) The determinants of whether or not a use is “fair” are the following:

  • The purpose and character of the use,
    • whether the use is commercial in nature,
    • or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
  • The nature of the work.
  • The amount and substantiality of the selection in relation to the whole work.
  • The effect of the use upon the potential market for the work.

Agreements worked out by authors, publishers and users have placed limits on what falls under "fair use" and under what circumstances. PCC faculty, staff and students make a judgment about how they plan to use material before copying it. They must judge print, media, and electronic materials – any creative work in any format.

PCC rules and guidelines

  1. By law, creators (writers, producers, artists, songwriters, photographers and others) have copyright ownership of their productions as soon as the work takes on a tangible form.
  2. Apply fair use guidelines to all material before using it unless you have written permission from the copyright owner.
  3. Fair use guidelines
  4. Interpreting the guidelines
  5. Considering types of material
  6. The Laws
  7. Test your knowledge now!
  8. Get permission from the copyright owner if your use is not fair use.

For further information, consult the U.S. Copyright Office, or send questions to copyright@pcc.edu.

Related Pages
Copyright Resources at the Library , Copyright Clearance Services