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WCC Copyright Use and Ownership Policy
This policy has been developed and distributed in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act ("DMCA") and the Technology Education and Copyright Harmonization ("TEACH") Act.
Washtenaw Community College is committed to complying with all applicable laws regarding copyright
and patents. Compliance with federal copyright and patent law is expected of all students, faculty
and staff.
"Copyright" is legal protection for any creative work in a fixed medium. Copyright protects the
original creative work of authors, composers, and creators of all types from reproduction, display,
performance, dissemination, distribution, or creation of derivative works by others. In order to use
a copyrighted work, faculty, staff, and students must either obtain permission or qualify for a legal
exception to the requirement for permission. Because the College may be liable for the illegal acts of
faculty and staff, and because the College provides services, including Internet and e-mail access to
faculty, staff, and students, the College is required to provide notice, education, and take-down procedures
and to terminate the access privileges of those who repeatedly infringe the copyrights of others.
As an educational education involved in inquiry and dissemination of knowledge, the College supports (1)
the responsible, good faith exercise of full fair use rights by faculty, librarians, and staff in
furtherance of their teaching, research, and service activities; (2) copyright ownership for creative,
non-directed works by faculty, staff, and students and College ownership of directed employment-related
works; and (3) protection of ownership rights for creators of works that require a different ownership
model.
To the foregoing stated ends the College shall:
- Provide notice, education, and guidance to faculty, staff and students about the requirements
of copyright law and the legal exceptions to the requirement for permission.
- Develop and make available resources concerning copyright laws in general and the
applications of fair use in specific situations.
- Provide resources and develop strategies for obtaining permission when necessary.
- Provide resources and develop strategies to reduce the need for permission, where
possible, through licensing agreements.
- Document the steps taken to accomplish these goals.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 includes provisions designed to reduce file sharing and unauthorized distributions of copyrighted materials by those using campus networks. For information on the College's compliance to HEOA, download the following documents:
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