"Copyright-Safe" Checklist
Use this checklist when creating
material for electronic or print publication. Be "copyright safe"!
Text, tables, illustrations, video
footage, and audio segments from the works of others, regardless of the
source, are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced unless the
copyright owner explicitly grants permission. If you wish to reproduce
materials from other sources in your publication, videotape, Web site,
or other media-except for brief sections of text treated as
quotations-you must obtain permission from the copyright owner to
protect against copyright infringement claims.
Note that ideas or information from
other sources may be used without obtaining permission, provided that
you express that information in your own words and images. When you use
information developed by others, professional ethics dictate that you
give credit by citing the source (unless the information is common
knowledge).
This checklist will help you determine
whether written permission, a credit statement, or both are required
for your project:
Q1. Is the title or any of the text
copied directly from another source?
- NO - Go to Question 2.
- YES - Is the copied material longer
than two paragraphs, or is it more than 10 percent of a single
copyrighted work?
- NO - Place the materials in
quotes and acknowledge the source with a standard reference
citation.
- YES - Follow the instructions
below ("How to obtain written permission . . . "). Then go to Q2.
Q2. Is any drawing, photo, video
footage, audio segment, HTML code, or other element of content copied
wholly or in part from another source?
- NO - No permission is required. Go
to Question 3.
- YES - Follow the instructions below
("How to obtain written permission . . . ")." Then go to Q3.
Q3. Are any unique concepts, ideas,
or information drawn from another specific, identifiable source?
- NO - No further action is required.
- YES - Credit the source either with
a standard reference citation (footnote or endnote) or with a general
credit statement citing the original author, title of the work, and
name of the publisher.
How to obtain written permission to reproduce copyrighted materials
To request permission, write to the
copyright owner or publisher indicating exactly what material you wish
to reproduce, how it will be used, the publication or other work in
which it will be incorporated, the purpose, and whether the publication
or work will be offered free or for sale. Ask for written permission as
follows:
● If you wish to copy material from a
work that the publisher offers for free (for example, a publication
distributed without charge by a state or quasi-government agency),
you may request and obtain permission by e-mail.
● If you wish to copy material from a
work that the publisher sells, obtain a signed letter on paper from the
copyright holder granting permission to reproduce the material.
Questions? Consult the
Copyright and
Libel Primer for Web and Print Publishers.
The copyright checklist was adapted
with permission from the Copyright Checklist and Assignment for MSU
Extension Service Authors, Office of Agricultural Communications,
Mississippi State University, 2004.
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