Lincoln Land Community College Library complies with the United States Copyright Act of 1976 (Title 17, U.S. Code).  The Copyright Act offers copyright holders legal protection of their entitlement to the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material and governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

The law has established certain limitations on the exclusive rights of the copyright holder and affords libraries and archives the authorization to make photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material within the bounds that the law specifies.  Legal reproduction of copyrighted works dictates that the material is used solely for personal use and for the following endeavors:  “criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.” 

If an individual uses copyrighted material for any other purpose, or further reproduces and/or distributes material beyond the bounds of what is considered “fair use” that individual may be liable for copyright infringement.  The same limitations apply to copyright-protected material when that material exists in electronic format.

LLCC Library operates according to the provisions established in the United States Copyright Act of 1976 (Title 17 U.S. code) under section 107, the doctrine of Fair Use.  The Copyright Act offers copyright holders legal protection of their entitlement to the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material.  Since the enactment of this code, a series of court decisions demonstrated the necessity for limitations on these rights, which resulted in the addition of Section 107.  This section codifies the doctrine of Fair Use, which establishes limitations based on the purpose and the character of the use of copyrighted materials.

Fair Use limitations justify the legal reproduction of copyrighted works for purposes such as “criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research,” and apply directly to nonprofit, academic institutions.  Section 107 suggests that each case is determined by weighing each of the following four factors.

1. Purpose of use
2. Nature of the work
3. Substantiality of the work that is used
4. Effect on the potential market value of the work

To read more about our Copyright Compliance Policy click here.

Use the link below to access guidelines for determining when a work passes into the Public Domain. A public domain work is a creative work that is not protected by copyright and which may be freely used by everyone. 

Public Domain Guidelines Chart