The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives offers access to its collections in order to support education and scholarship. Some materials in these collections may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States. Additionally, the use or reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, and University policy.
Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner(s).
The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Whenever possible, Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions in the catalog records and finding aids. Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives may not own rights to material in its collections. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. Wichita State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives may charge permission or use fees for commercial and non-profit use of material in its collections.
Explanation of Copyright and Fair Use Exceptions:
Copyright provides the holder with exclusive rights to reproduce, sell and distribute a work, prepare derivative works and display the work publicly. Exceptions to copyright are strictly for the purposes identified as "fair uses" by §107 of the Copyright Act: "such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research." In determining whether a use in any particular case is a fair use, the factors to be considered include: (1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; (2) the nature of the copyrighted work; (3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and (4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work. Note that all factors are considered together, not in exclusion.
