As an institution devoted to teaching, learning, service, and scholarship, St. John Fisher College supports compliance with all United States copyright laws.  This web site has been created as an educational resource for faculty, librarians, and staff in order to enhance the understanding of, and to assist in their compliance with, current copyright laws and doctrines, including the doctrine of fair use.

 Ultimate responsibility for copyright compliance rests with the end user; therefore, the decision making tools and guidelines on this site are designed to assist faculty and staff in using copyrighted materials appropriately.  While copyright law protects owners of “original works of authorship”, it also allows for the use of many copyrighted materials in an educational setting. This website provides resources designed to help faculty determine when and how materials (e.g., books, articles) can be used in their courses. The decision tree below will help to determine the steps to take to assure compliance with copyright law.  When copyrighted works are used as educational materials under the doctrine of “fair use,” we recommend that a “fair use” checklist be considered and completed for each work used.