what is copyrighted in a course? in columbia university

Columbia will hold rights in copyright to works of authorship that are created at the University by faculty, research staff, and others and that are supported by a direct allocation of University funds, are commissioned by the University, make substantial use of financial or logistical support from the University beyond the level of common resources provided to faculty, or are otherwise subject to contractual obligations.

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What is copyright law and why does it matter?

The University’s registered agent (s) to receive complaints of copyright infringement under the DMCA is Joel Rosenblatt (Columbia University Information Technology, 615 W. 131st St., 5th Flr., New York, NY 10025; Phone: 212-854-1919; Fax: 212-662-6442).

What is Copyright Basics?

The University will assert copyright ownership in such course content and courseware if there is an independent basis for the University’s assertion of such rights (e.g, the course content or courseware is created with substantial use of University resources, financial support or non-faculty personnel or pursuant to the terms of a sponsored ...

When do I need to secure permission to use copyrighted material?

New materials about scholarly publishing, fair use of images in publications, open access requirements for scholarly publications and permissions for third party materials have been add to the Faculty Tab with updated headings and materials.

How to send a copyright permission request to a copyright owner?

Step 2: Secure Permission and Write an Effective Letter. A “nonexclusive” permission may be granted by telephone or handshake, but an “exclusive” permission or a transfer of the copyright must be in writing and signed by the copyright owner. In all cases, a clearly written document with a signature is useful to confirm exactly what is ...

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What is a copyright statement?

A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, the owner’s agent, or by the law. A statement by you that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, you are authorized on behalf of the owner to enforce ...

What is Columbia University?

Columbia University is committed to providing a learning, living, and working environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment and to fostering a nurturing and vibrant community founded upon the fundamental dignity and worth of all of its members.

Is Columbia University accessible?

Columbia University is committed to providing an accessible and welcoming environment for faculty, staff, students, guests, visitors and members of the public, and it encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities.

What is a copyright notification?

A statement by you that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, you are authorized on behalf of the owner to enforce the copyrights that are claimed to be infringed. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or the person authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner.

What does "good faith" mean in copyright?

A statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, the owner’s agent, or by the law.

Do universities have to hold copyright?

No. In fact, most federal grants do not require that the University hold copyright in works created as a result of the grant. In this regard, copyright differs from patents. Under federal statute, most federal grants do require that patents resulting from inventions arising from work under the grants be held by the University.

Who owns copyright in a course?

A faculty member, or other creator , who owns the copyright in his or her works under this Policy, other than course content or courseware under paragraph I.E.2, may commercialize those works, without the authority or permission of the University, so long as the University’s name is not used in connection with works so made available, other than to identify the faculty member as an instructor at the University.

What is the mission of Columbia University?

The central mission of Columbia University is to create, preserve, and disseminate knowledge through teaching and research. The community of scholars at Columbia has determined and established norms and values for the conduct of scholarly and scientific work that have evolved over the long history of the University.

What is copyright policy?

This Copyright Policy 1 sets forth the rights and responsibilities of the University; its faculty; other employees; students with student officer appointments or other students or postdoctoral fellows who are collaborating with faculty members or researchers; and consultants. Copyright law protects the expression contained in works of authorship such as books, articles, memoranda, texts, computer programs, musical works, dramatic works, pictorial works, motion pictures and other audiovisual works, multimedia works, web pages and sound recordings. 2

What is the University's patent policy?

In accordance with the University’s Patent Policy, the University claims rights in inventions or discoveries, including computer software "that are or may be patentable as well as to the technology associated with them." If the software is not covered by the Patent Policy, the University will not claim copyright ownership unless there is an independent basis for asserting such rights, as set forth in Section I.B

How long can a faculty member consult outside of the University?

As set forth in the University’s policy on faculty consulting, faculty members are permitted to engage in outside activities for an average of no more than one day a week during the period in which a faculty member is expected to provide services to the University. 3 An employee other than a faculty member is not permitted to undertake any outside consulting activities or other employment without permission from his or her department head or supervisor. No use of University resources, financial support or other University personnel may be made in the course of permitted outside activities. All consulting must be consistent with the University’s policies on conflict of interest, conflict of commitment and use of the University name.

What is a copyright policy committee?

A Copyright Policy Standing Committee, made up of faculty members, a student officer and academic administrators, with the majority of the Committee consisting of faculty members who do not hold administrative positions, shall be formed by the Provost to address any issues concerning the proper interpretation of this Policy and to resolve any disputes between creators and the University concerning ownership of works and what constitutes substantial use of University resources. Members of the University community may obtain advice from this Committee. A representative of the General Counsel’s Office shall serve as an ex officio member of the Committee. The creator of a work may appeal the decision of the Committee to the President. The decision of the President will be final. Decisions of the Standing Committee and the President will be publicly available.

Is a copyright protected work?

Works are protected automatically, without copyright notice or registration. Copyright protectable works receive instant and automatic copyright protection at the time that they are created. U.S. law today does not require placing a notice of copyright on the work or registering the work with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Do you need to get permission to use a copyrighted work?

Uses are also allowed with permission. If your use of a copyrighted work is not within one of the statutory exceptions, you may need to secure permission from the copyright owner. A non-exclusive permission does not need to be in writing, but a signed writing is almost always good practice.

What is copyright ownership?

The Meaning of Copyright Ownership 1 The law grants to copyright owners a series or bundle of specified rights:#N#Reproduction of works 2 Distribution of copies 3 Making of derivative works 4 Public performance and display of works. 5 In addition, certain works of visual art have moral rights regarding the name of the artist on the work, or preventing the destruction of them. 6 Copyright owners may also have rights to prevent anyone from circumventing technological protection systems that control access to the works.

Who is the first copyright owner?

Author is the first copyright owner. As a general rule, the initial owner of the copyright is the person who does the creative work. If you wrote the book or took the photograph, you are the copyright owner.

Can copyright be transferred?

Copyright can be transferred. Copyright owners can give or sell their rights to others. Even in cases of employment or where a copyright protected work was created as a “work made for hire” copyright can be assigned or transferred back to the author. In addition, rights can be transferred temporarily by contract.

How long does copyright last?

In the case of "works made for hire", copyright lasts for the lesser of either 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation of the work.

Does copyright expire?

Copyright eventually expires too. When a work lacks copyright protection or where copyright has expires, it is said that the work enter the public domain. Works produced by the U.S. government are not copyrightable. Copyright also does not protect facts, ideas, discoveries, and methods.

Copyright at Columbia

Copyright Advisory Services supports Columbia faculty and students in understanding copyright and how it relates to their work, course materials, and scholarly communications. See Copyright Basics for a primer.

For Faculty

University faculty face multiple copyright related issues when engaging in academic work. Whether carrying out research, publishing academic work or seeking to share scholarly work with, students, other colleagues or with the public, copyright, particularly, in in this digital era, has become increasingly complex. See Faculty for more information.

Requests for Permission

Copyright Advisory Services does not field individual requests for permissions or reproductions of Columbia University Libraries materials.

Permission to use the content on this site

Except where stated otherwise, the content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 License.When making use of the content on these pages under the terms of the CC license, please include this form of attribution: "Used under a CC BY/NC license from Copyright Advisory Services of Columbia University." If your needs are outside the scope of this license, please consider fair use or ask us for permission..

Upcoming Events

The GSAS Writing Studio and Copyright Advisory Services will be hosting an online copyright workshop for GSAS doctoral candidates on April 2, 2021 from 1:00pm-2:30pm.

Copyright Advisory Services For Faculty and Students

Office Hours for the Columbia Community will continue virtually on Tuesdays from 10am to noon.

How to get copyright permission?

If you are just beginning the process, you may need to carefully consider the steps for securing permission, as detailed below: Step 1: Contact the Copyright Owner. Step 2: Secure Permission and Write an Effective Letter. Step 3: Keep a Record. Model Permission Letters.

Can you give nonexclusive copyright?

A “nonexclusive” permission may be granted by telephone or handshake, but an “exclusive” permission or a transfer of the copyright must be in writing and signed by the copyright owner . In all cases, a clearly written document with a signature is useful to confirm exactly what is permitted.

What to do if you don't follow instructions?

If you do not follow instructions, you may not get a reply. Telephone calls may be the quickest method for getting a response from the owner, but they should be followed up with a letter or e-mail in order to document the exact scope of the permission.

For Students

Whether you are a graduate or undergraduate student, your program may have provided you with some guidance on the re-use of existing materials and in many circumstances this issue is characterized, by the various departments and schools at Columbia University, as plagiarism.

Guidance for Reproduction and Distribution of Scholarly Work

The purpose of this unit of the website is to provide students with guidance for the reproduction and distribution of their work and the work of others in addition to the general copyright information found under the Copyright Basics tab of this site.

Who created the checklist?

The Checklist and this introduction is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution License with attribution to the original creators of the checklist Kenneth D. Crews (formerly of Columbia University) and Dwayne K. Buttler (University of Louisville).

Why is a checklist important?

Second, the checklist can provide an important mechanism to document your decision-making process.