Topic 5: Copyrights

The government of the United States defines a copyright as “a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.” In addition, the U.S. government does allow for unlicensed use, called “fair use,” of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. Section 107 of the Copyright Act provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies examples that may qualify as fair use, such as comment, criticism, news reporting, research, scholarship and teaching. Therefore, when reproducing or editing for accessibility, always consider copyright laws and make sure you are acting within their framework.