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Copyright and Scholarship

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What is Copyright?

Copyright and scholarly communication information for the Boston College community.

What is Copyright?

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Copyright is a set of rights 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, audiovisual and certain other works, including software.

This protection is available to both published and unpublished works that are fixed in a tangible medium.   Copyright does not protect ideas; it protects the expression of ideas.

The law gives the owner of copyright the following exclusive rights:

  • To reproduce the work (i.e. to make copies);
  • To prepare derivative works (i.e. to make a movie from a book or to translate a work into another language);
  • To distribute copies publicly;
  • To perform the work publicly (i.e. a play or movie);
  • To display the work publicly; and
  • In the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission.


The owner of the copyright may transfer all or part of these rights to others. See the page on Author Rights.

Subject to some exceptions described in this guide (including fair use), if a person exercises any of these rights in another’s work without permission, the person may be liable for copyright infringement.

Selected Additional Resources in the Boston College Libraries

License

This guide has been created by Boston College University Libraries and is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Scholarly Communication Librarian

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Elliott Hibbler
he / him / his
Contact:
O'Neill Library
617-552-1943
Subjects: Copyright, Law

Ask Policy Questions

If you have a question about the University’s policies regarding copyright, please contact the Office of Technology Transfer and Licensing at 2-1682.  If you have a question that requires the advice of an attorney, please contact the Office of the General Counsel at 2-0960.   

Use of the Guide

The purpose of this guide is to give guidance for resolving basic copyright questions. It is designed to provide basic, general information about copyright, and does not constitute legal advice.  The links to third party sites in this guide are provided for your convenience, but Boston College does not take responsibility for the content of these other sites. If you have a question about a specific copyright issue not addressed by this guide, the Libraries encourage you to seek further advice.