About These Tools...

• BLC Author Addendum -- Free legal tool for authors. Helps author modify a publisher's agreement and retain key rights to one's articles. See Secure & Retain Your Rights for details.
• Copyright Decision Map -- Flowchart shows steps for deciding whether a work may be reproduced.
• Copyright Renewal Database (Stanford) -- "An online database that enables people to search copyright-renewal records [not original copyright registrations] for books published in the United States between 1923 and 1963." Includes [some] scores. Also known as the "Copyright Determinator." See also Stanford Report, April 2, 2007, press release.
• Creative Commons -- "Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators. . . . [They build] upon the 'all rights reserved' concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach." Tools were created by a non-profit organization and free.
• Fair Use Analysis Tool (U. Minnesota) -- This form help you examine the four factors surrounding the circumstances of your proposed "fair use." See also Understanding Fair Use.
• Know Your Copy Rights -- Sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries. This is a "Web site for librarians who are developing positive educational programs for academic users of copyrighted materials in U.S. not-for-profit institutions."
• Public Domain Chart -- Helps you determine if an item is in the public domain (and thus copied without permission). Identifies copyright term dates and current copyright status of various types of items.
• Retaining Your Copyright -- PDF brochure from the UConn Libraries. See also Author Copyright Management and information about retaining your rights when Publishing and/or Distributing Your Work.
• SHERPA: Publishers' Policies -- Summarizes publisher copyright policies, including permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement.
• SPARC Author Addendum -- Free legal tool for authors. Helps author modify a publisher's agreement and retain key rights to one's articles. Developed by SPARC in partnership with the non-profit organizations, Creative Commons and Science Commons.
• TEACH Act Toolkit -- Helps instructors, librarians, and higher education administrators understand, benefit from, and adhere to requirements set forth in the TEACH Act. (TEACH Act = Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act. It "updated copyright law pertaining to transmissions of performances and displays of copyrighted materials. Such transmissions are critical to current higher education distance education efforts, including online courses."