Copyright guidelines

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." The documents contained on this site are intended for the use of CSU faculty and students. If a user makes a request for a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Materials protected by copyright rely on the fair use section of the Copyright Act of 1976. Section 107 of the Copyright Act permits the making of multiple copies for classroom use and identifies four factors in determining fair use:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. The nature of the copyrighted work;
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Fair use guidelines (for a single class or a single semester):

• No more than 10% of a book
• No more than one chapter of a book
• No more than one article from each journal issue
• All material should include the title and copyright pages or the equivalent in full citation
• Articles should include volume and issue numbers

Seek copyright permission:

• Materials which do not require copyright permission include the exams, syllabi, and lecture notes of the professor placing material on, government publications, or material for which the professor or instructor owns copyright
• Materials need copyright permission from the publisher include a journal article, multiple articles from one journal, and multiple chapters from a book needing on reserve more than one semester.