Copyright Guidelines
This document is provided by the Business Information Specialists of the James J. Hill Reference Library to answer our clients' Frequently Asked Questions about copyright. Note that the content providers used by the Hill Library or linked to from the Hill Library Web site each have their own copyright policies and thus you MUST review each provider's policy prior to using their copyrighted work.
The James J. Hill Reference Library cannot give legal advice or offer opinions on what is permitted or prohibited. For further, authoritative information on copyright, please refer to Title 17 of the United States Code.
Do I own the copyright to the articles I print or download from HillSearch Membership?
May I distribute the articles & other content I get from HillSearch Membership?
Can I download or print one copy of content found through Hill Library HillSearch Membership?
How can I legally make copies of HillSearch Membership articles?
How can I make copies of physical articles found through the Hill Library?
How can I use the Copyright Clearance Center?
Can I use articles I find through the Web including HillSearch Membership on my Intranet?
What are the limitations of Hill Library's Document Delivery service?
Do I own the copyright to the articles I print from the sources provided in the Hill Business Web Directory?
No. The Hill Business Web Directory is a listing of links to various
Web sites. Those Web sites have their own copyright policies that
must be followed at all times.
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Can I download or print one copy of content found on the Hill Library's Web site or the content found on the sources provided in the Hill Business Web Directory?
No. You may download or print a reasonable portion of the provided content.
While fair use laws do not offer a definition of "reasonable portion," it is generally held to be a small portion of the entire original, and is only as much as is needed to serve a specific objective, in this case your specific business research question(s). If you have further questions about fair use, you may check the fair use doctrine, or use Indiana University's Fair Use Checklist.
Be sure to check each individual Web site's copyright policy before
downloading or printing any content from any Web site recommended
by the Hill Library.
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What is the Fair Use policy?
"Fair Use" is a defense to the unauthorized copying of copyrighted materials. Section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act expressly states that the fair use of copyrighted work includes reproduction (photocopying) of copies for purposes such as teaching, including multiple copies for classroom use. However, the act also states that its statement of the fair use doctrine in Section 107 offers some guidance to users but that it is not intended to "freeze the doctrine in the statute."
For more information on the Fair Use you may want to access the
"Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying In Not-For-Profit
Educational Institutions" at http://www.cni.org/docs/infopols/NACS.html
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Do I own the copyright to the articles I print or download from HillSearch Membership?
No. You own the single copy downloaded or printed from HillSearch Membership.
You may give that copy away, summarize it, or quote it with proper
attribution. You do not own the copyright. That right remains
with the document author or publisher.
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May I distribute the articles & other content I get from HillSearch Membership?
You may not make copies of the content or create a derivative
work based on the content except as noted below. Nor can you modify,
distribute, transmit, disseminate, sell, post, license, sublicense,
lease, publish, broadcast or circulate any content accessed through
the Hill Library without the copyright holder's prior written
consent, except through the fair use doctrine under US copyright
laws. If you give away the copy you printed or downloaded, you
may not keep a copy for yourself.
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Can I download or print one copy of content found through Hill Library HillSearch Membership?
The content providers featured in Hill HillSearch Membership all have their own guidelines regarding downloading and/or printing articles found through their products and thus, you MUST follow each individual content provider's guidelines.
In general, the subscription content providers the James J. Hill Reference Library uses in its HillSearch Membership are authorized from the original publishers to provide copies of articles to their customers, and thus, Hill Library clients. Accordingly, Hill clients may obtain ONE COPY via the printing or downloading of each desired articled.
Remember that Hill Library content providers have the capability
to condition the use of their materials upon additional restrictions.
So, if the content provider has imposed a restriction in the screen
displays associated with their publication, that restriction would
over-ride the general rule noted above as well as any fair use
analysis.
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How can I legally make copies of HillSearch Membership articles?
In general, if you wish to make copies of the materials retrieved from content providers featured through Hill Library HillSearch Membership, the easiest way to do so would be to generate the desired number of copies directly from the product (click on the link for each copy of an article you need). This will insure that the appropriate royalty is being tracked and paid to the publisher.
Remember that Hill Library content providers have the capability
to condition the use of their materials upon additional restrictions.
So, if the content provider has imposed a restriction in the screen
displays associated with their publications, that restriction
would over-ride the general rule noted above as well as any fair
use analysis.
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How can I make copies of physical articles found through the Hill Library?
To lawfully make copies of physical documents obtained through
the Hill Library, you must first obtain permission from the owner
of the copyright. You may also obtain permission from a licensing
representative such as Copyright Clearance Center (CCC).
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How can I use the Copyright Clearance Center?
The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) is an agent for thousands
of publishers, authors, and other copyright holders that can authorize
you to photocopy excerpts from over 1.75 million "repertory"
titles. To learn more about CCC and the scope and limitations
of its services, click here or call 978-750-8400.
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Can I use articles I find through the Web including HillSearch Membership on my Intranet?
No. However, the CCC is in the process of creating a digital permissions
service to allow for the internal use of digital versions of copyrighted
materials. Please contact CCC on the web for more information,
or call 978-750-8400.
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What are the limitations of Hill Library's Document Delivery service?
Hill Library operates its Document Delivery service based on the
fair use doctrine, which permits copying a reasonable portion
of the entire original (for example, a book's chapter rather than
the entire book). We reserve the right to refuse a request for
document delivery if, in our judgment, fulfilling the request
would violate copyright law. In that case, we are happy to research
your purchase or Interlibrary Loan options.
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