Copyright is an issue about which college store personnel and faculty should be educated and aware, particularly in regard to coursepacks.

The proliferation of photocopying and custom publishing on campus makes it incumbent upon college store staff and faculty to educate not only themselves, but their campus communities as well.

The Copyright Act of 1976 grants copyright owners the exclusive right to:

• Reproduce the work
• Prepare derivative works
• Distribute the works for sale, rental, lease, or transfer ownership
• Perform or display the works publicly, such as:
  1. Literary
  2. Dramatic
  3. Musical
  4. Audio visual

LOOK OUT! It is not necessary for the author or creator to register works with the Copyright Office to secure copyright. The author has copyright as soon as the work is in a fixed medium, whether it has a notice or not (registration with the Copyright Office strengthens protection in court when infringement occurs). Obtain permission before copying and selling the materials or infringement may result.

©COPYRIGHT duration varies: Works made for hire, and for anonymous and pseudonymous works, the duration of copyright will be 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, which ever is shorter. Authored works created on or after January 1, 1978 are protected 70 years after the death of the author. Term of joint work is measured by the life of the last surviving author. Works created or copyrighted before January 1, 1978 are subject to varying terms of protection, but the duration is similar to the terms above, including terms as long as 95 years.

Copyright owners have the right to grant or deny the use of their copyrighted works, and they are entitled to set and collect royalties or fees for the use of their copyrighted works. So in essence, copyright gives authors/creators the incentive to produce future works.

The Effects of Copyright