Instructional Technology & Learning Resources

Copyright: The Bottom Line

If you wish to use any material that you did not produce yourself, and you are unsure as to whether or not it is copyright free, you need to receive permission to use it. To do this, you must locate the holder of the copyright, and acquire written permission to use the material in the specific manner which you intend.

The following example provides an illustration of how this can be done. I had found a cartoon on the Internet that I wished to use on a TC3 web page. The page on which I found the cartoon contained an e-mail address to which I sent the following:

Dear Michael,

My name is Bob Yavits, and I work at Tompkins Cortland Community College, about 10 miles from Cornell University in upstate New York.

I am in the process of developing a Web page of information for our faculty. When I did a search on http://images.google.com I found your cartoon, which is relevant to the Web page content.

I am requesting from you written permission to use the cartoon on the page. Please let me know if you require any form of reimbursement.

Thank you for your consideration,
- Bob Yavits
- Instructional Software Specialist
- Tompkins Cortland Community College
- Dryden, NY 13053-0139
- (607) 844-8211, ext. 4357

(NOTE: You have my written permission here to use the above message as a model or template for your own request.)

Sometimes the copyright holder will respond with certain requirements, which may include a monetary payment, or may simply be an attribution. It the material is to be used on the Web a link back to the person or organization's website is often requested. Other times permission for free unrestricted use may be granted.

Often the most difficult part of this process is locating exactly who owns the copyright. There is no clear-cut formula for doing this, and one often has to be a bit of a private detective in order to do so.

However it is very important to note that your inability to locate the holder of the copyright does not provide you with the right to use the material. Likewise, the lack of response on the part of the copyright holder does not, in itself, allow you to legally use the material.

Also, remember that anything that is produced by anyone is legally considered to be copywritten material. No special procedure beyond the production of the material, and no copyright notice on the material is necessary.

Tompkins Cortland Community College

	Skip to Content

	Fair Use Guidelines Copying for the Classroom Audio/Visual Material Library Services Digital Materials Need More Help? Copyright Links The Bottom Line	Copyright: The Bottom Line If you wish to use any material that you did not produce yourself, and you are unsure as to whether or not it is copyright free, you need to receive permission to use it. To do this, you must locate the holder of the copyright, and acquire written permission to use the material in the specific manner which you intend. The following example provides an illustration of how this can be done. I had found a cartoon on the Internet that I wished to use on a TC3 web page. The page on which I found the cartoon contained an e-mail address to which I sent the following: Dear Michael, My name is Bob Yavits, and I work at Tompkins Cortland Community College, about 10 miles from Cornell University in upstate New York. I am in the process of developing a Web page of information for our faculty. When I did a search on http://images.google.com I found your cartoon, which is relevant to the Web page content. I am requesting from you written permission to use the cartoon on the page. Please let me know if you require any form of reimbursement. Thank you for your consideration, - Bob Yavits - Instructional Software Specialist - Tompkins Cortland Community College - Dryden, NY 13053-0139 - (607) 844-8211, ext. 4357 (NOTE: You have my written permission here to use the above message as a model or template for your own request.) Sometimes the copyright holder will respond with certain requirements, which may include a monetary payment, or may simply be an attribution. It the material is to be used on the Web a link back to the person or organization's website is often requested. Other times permission for free unrestricted use may be granted. Often the most difficult part of this process is locating exactly who owns the copyright. There is no clear-cut formula for doing this, and one often has to be a bit of a private detective in order to do so. However it is very important to note that your inability to locate the holder of the copyright does not provide you with the right to use the material. Likewise, the lack of response on the part of the copyright holder does not, in itself, allow you to legally use the material. Also, remember that anything that is produced by anyone is legally considered to be copywritten material. No special procedure beyond the production of the material, and no copyright notice on the material is necessary.
	Calendar \| myTC3 \| A-Z List \| Search Tompkins Cortland Community College P.O. Box 139 · 170 North Street · Dryden, New York 13053 1.888.567.8211 — 1.607.844.8211 Contact the webmaster for web site or accessibility issues.