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Resources for students

What is a copyright?

A copyright is “the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.” The copyright was introduced to the US by James Madison in 1787 to “secure to literary authors their copyrights for a limited time.”

You can read a brief introduction and history of the US Copyright Office.

Please see the ASU policy on copyright and copyrighted materials. http://www.asu.edu/copyright/

ASU Computer, Internet, and Electronic Communications Policy http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html

What does copyright apply to?





Copyrights apply to many things such as:

– Written works such as books, stories, journals, articles, and HTML coding (computer programs)

– Pictures, images, artwork, or graphics

– Music or song lyrics

– Architectural blueprints

– Scripts for television, plays, screenplays, or movies

– Audiovisual recordings (films, videos)

– Sound recordings (songs, CDs, MP3s)

– Web site content, design, or graphics

What is copyright infringement?

As stated by the U.S. Copyright Office, “Copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.”

Avoiding copyright infringement as a student

A copyright is “the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.” The copyright was introduced to the US by James Madison in 1787 to “secure to literary authors their copyrights for a limited time.”

Decorative Images from the Web

Please do not use images in your submitted work that are taken from Internet search engines such as Google or Bing.
Recommendation: Do not go to Google or use other search engines to search for images. Instead use images from the Creative Commons, or images that you own the copyright for (pictures you have taken or created digitally). Images can also be purchased or licensed from stock photo/image libraries online for a nominal fee.

Attempting to Retain TEACH Act Course Media

Please do not attempt to retain course media with copyright notices. All of these audio, video, and images are provided to students during the time of their course in a streaming media format. The media is provided under the TEACH Act copyright exemption and making copies in an attempt to retain the media for use outside of the course is not allowed.
Recommendation: Look for specific copyright notices pertaining to specific videos. Do not attempt to download or use software to retain any of this media used under the protections of the TEACH Act.