Revised Copyright Compliance Statement (Draft)

Business and Financial Policies and Procedures
University of Illinois
Office of Business and Financial Services
SECTION 1 - Business Technology and Systems
SECTION 19.8 - Copyright Compliance Policy

NOTE: This is a proposed revision to the software copyright compliance document, the most appropriate existing document to modify to address the broader issues of content generally. The Urbana campus welcomes comments on this draft, as it prepared a formal submission.

The academic community thrives on respect for other's ideas and other's rights. Our privileges are balanced by responsibilities. This policy focuses on respect for copyrighted materials, especially as it relates to online materials. Copyright laws are not different for online materials; however, the ability to easily copy and transport copyrighted materials in a networked environment changes the nature of compliance efforts.

Members of the University benefit tangibly from copyright laws because those laws protect copyrighted material developed by the University community such as software, movies, books, electronic documents, images or music.The University also benefits from the development of works copyrighted by others. Development of such work, whether by the University or others, may be diminished when copyright laws are not respected.Unauthorized copying of material damages all, and has tangible negative results for our academic community, for the developer of copyrighted material, and for the community at large.

The University of Illinois and all of its campuses, the state of Illinois, the United States, and international law all prohibit the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, regardless of its form. The University of Illinois cannot tolerate physical theft or plagiarism; it also cannot tolerate unauthorized copying.

The University recognizes that there are legitimate ways to use copyrighted material.One can seek permission from the copyright holder to use copyrighted works, or one may utilize exceptions under the copyright law, such as �fair use.� One may also copy works that are in the public domain,

The responsibility of compliance with those laws is an individual responsibility. Each member of the community is responsible for making a good faith effort at assuring this policy is met. Unit administrators are responsible for ensuring that their units make a good faith effort to comply with this policy. If you are using software or any other material in a University of Illinois' environment, including classrooms and computers, and you are not sure it is properly authorized, contact your academic or administrative supervisor or advisor or send email to copyright@uiuc.edu . We will all benefit from recognizing our responsibilities under laws and University policies on copyright to ensure that the rights of others are respected.

For more information see:

University General Rules Article 3 (Intellectual Property) Section 4 (Copyrights)

Current Policy: SECTION 19.8 - Software Copyright Compliance

Campus Copyright Compliance Statement