As an institution compliant with federal copyright law, North Georgia College & State University also adheres to the practices and policies set out by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Content used with permission of USG Board of Regents.

As a system devoted to providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate education to students; pursuing leading-edge basic and applied research, scholarly inquiry, and creative endeavors; and bringing intellectual resources to the citizenry, the University System of Georgia is committed to respecting the rights of copyright holders and complying with copyright law. The University System of Georgia recognizes that the exclusive rights of copyright holders are balanced by limitations on those rights under federal copyright law, including the right to make a fair use of copyrighted materials and the right to perform or display works in the course of face-to-face teaching activities.

The University System of Georgia facilitates compliance with copyright law and, where appropriate, the exercise in good faith of full fair use rights by faculty and staff in teaching, research, and service activities. Specifically, the University System of Georgia

• informs and educates students, faculty, and staff about copyright law, including the limited exclusive rights of copyright holders as set forth in 17 U.S.C. § 106, the application of the four fair use factors in 17 U.S.C. § 107, and other copyright exceptions;
• develops and makes available tools and resources for faculty and staff to assist in determining copyright status and ownership and determining whether use of a work in a specific situation would be a fair use and, therefore, not an infringement under copyright law;
• facilitates use of materials currently licensed by the University System of Georgia and provides information on licensing of third-party materials by the University System; and
• identifies individuals at the University System and member institutions who can counsel faculty and staff regarding application of copyright law.

-- University System of Georgia, Board of Regents Copyright Policy


COPYRIGHT BASICS FROM THE U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• To reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords;
• To prepare derivative works based upon the work;
• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
• To perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
• To display the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and
• In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.

It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of copyright. These rights, however, are not unlimited in scope. Sections 107 through 121 of the 1976 Copyright Act establish limitations on these rights. In some cases, these limitations are specified exemptions from copyright liability. One major limitation is the doctrine of “fair use,” which is given a statutory basis in section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act. In other instances, the limitation takes the form of a “compulsory license” under which certain limited uses of copyrighted works are permitted upon payment of specified royalties and compliance with statutory conditions.

To learn more about copyright, please see the USG's copyright overview or the U.S. Copyright Office website.