20.C Copyright
The emergence of Web-based technologies and other forms of electronic
transfers of information, affecting everything from traditional paper
copies of text or graphics to websites to distance learning tools,
has fundamentally altered the concerns of the creators, users, distributors,
and publishers of copyrighted materials and pushed copyright issues
to the forefront. Whatever the medium, copyright implications profoundly
influence how we go about our tasks of research and teaching.
Copyright law requires balancing the rights of creators and the rights
of users, but the application of this goal is far from simple. The law
acknowledges that some uses clearly violate copyright, such as copying
an entire recent best-selling book for classroom distribution, while
other uses are clearly permissible, such as making a copy of a couple
of paragraphs from a recent article. Between these two endpoints is
a substantial gray area where the rights of the creator and the rights
of the user may conflict. The lack of clarity is even more pronounced
when it comes to ownership of digital forms of information. While it
is important to protect the rights of creators, it is also essential
to encourage the appropriate use of copyrighted materials to advance
society through education.
As a practical matter, in most cases the specific facts of the case
must be considered against the backdrop of preexisting court decisions
and University policies. See the University of Michigan's copyright
policy and other helpful information at <www.copyright.umich.edu>.
Some additional sources for information about what the law permits
and protects include:
University Offices
• Office of the Vice President and General Counsel,
4010 Fleming 1340
764-0304 <www.ogc.umich.edu>
• Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Information
3071 Fleming 1340
764-2571 <www.provost.umich.edu/units/academic_affairs.html>
• Office of Technology Transfer
2071 Wolverine Tower 1280
764-4290
<www.techtransfer.umich.edu/>
websites
• <www.copyright.umich.edu/>
• <spg.umich.edu/pdf/601.03-2.pdf>
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