How does Copyright apply to Colorado State University faculty and staff?
Photocopying or other reproduction of copyrighted works raises important legal issues. Even in an academic or classroom setting, the law often requires permission for photocopying copyrighted works. The Fair Use doctrine set forth in the 1976 Copyright Act does not apply in many instances. Under the law, the owner of copyrighted works has the right to prevent all others from copying or selling it. Accordingly, photocopying copyrighted works without obtaining permissions may violate the rights of the author/creator and is directly contrary to the academic mission to teach respect for ideas and the intellectual property that expresses those ideas. Infringement can result in an award of money damages against the infringing party. Colorado State University employees have the responsibility when utilizing copyrighted materials to determine whether their use of the copyrighted materials would violate any copyright held by the author, or whether it would be considered fair use.
