Copyright Information

The doctrine of “fair use” segment of the U.S. copyright law permits limited copying of copyrighted work without the copyright owner’s permission. To avoid copyright infringements, follow the four factors of “fair use.” The Copyright Decision Tree flowchart or web-based Thinking Through Fair Use Tool can help you analyze your use of copyrighted works and determine fair use.

Waubonsee Community College supports its students, faculty, staff and administrators in the pursuit of teaching, learning and compliance with the copyright laws of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). It is the expectation of every member of the College to act as responsible users of copyrighted works, which includes being knowledgeable about the rights of copyright owners and making informed decisions based on the fair use exemptions to the copyright laws.

Librarians at Waubonsee Community College have created a resource guide with information about copyright and fair use. Also, more information about Copyright Policies and Penalties is available on our Legal Notices page.

If you have questions or a potential issue to report, send a message to copyright@waubonsee.edu.