Research Guides @ Fordham: Digital Humanities: Copyright &amp; Digital Projects

Resources from the U.S. Copyright Office

The following selection of links from the U.S. Copyright Office offers current and authoritative information explaining various aspects of U.S. copyright law.

Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office
Questions and answers to copyright scenarios arranged by category.
Circulars from the U.S. Copyright Office
Published to provide current and authoritative information to a general audience. Circulars are arranged by topic covering the basics and fundamental concepts of copyright law.
Copyright Public Records Catalog Online
Covering 1978 to present.
DMCA Designated Agent Directory
Register for an account to contact a Designated Agent to begin the process of asking a website to take down content that infringes upon your copyright.

Selected Books

Tools For Understanding Fair Use

Fair Use Checklist from Fordham University Libraries
Use this checklist to assess your case for fair use in a digital project. Be sure to keep this document in your project files for documentation.
Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center
Resource includes charts, tools, and cases to understand the application of fair use in copyright law.
Creative Commons Licenses
Explains the three layers of each Creative Commons license and how they work.
Digital Image Rights Computator (DIRC)
Tool from the Intellectual Property Rights Committee (IPR) committee of The Visual Resources Association (VRA) to help users assess the layers of rights in a given image and to determine parameters of appropriate reuse.
U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index
Database of court opinions including categories and type of use (e.g., music, internet/digitization, parody) in order to make the make the principles and applications of fair use easier to understand.

Creative Commons Licensing Guidance

Considerations for Licensors under Creative Commons
Read through this list to ensure you understand how a Creative Commons license functions before assigning one to your work.
Considerations for Licensees under Creative Commons
Read through this list before reusing a work to ensure you understand the parameters of the Creative Commons license.
Best Practices for Attribution for Content Under Creative Commons
Explains attribution process to ensure compliance with license deeds when remixing or reusing content.

Researching the Public Domain

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
Resource from the Copyright Information Center at Cornell University Library explaining the public domain and exceptions.

Seeking Permisssion

Asking for Permission from Columbia University Libraries
Explains best practices for seeking permission and includes sample letters for approaching copyright holders.
See the Permissions page from the Copyright Resources guide

Library Special Collections, Archives, and Museums

Copyright and Unpublished Material : An Introduction for Users of Archives and Manuscript Collections
Overview from the Society of American Archivists (SAA) intended to answer questions about copyright and materials in archives and manuscript collections.

International Copyright Information

World Intellectual Property Organization - Country Profiles
WIPO is an agency of the United Nations with 192 member states providing a global forum for intellectual property (IP) services, policy, information and cooperation.

Digital Humanities: Copyright & Digital Projects

Copyright & Libraries

Resources from the U.S. Copyright Office

Selected Books

Tools For Understanding Fair Use

Creative Commons Licensing Guidance

Researching the Public Domain

Seeking Permisssion

Library Special Collections, Archives, and Museums

International Copyright Information

Reference & Instruction Department