Research Guides: Open Access: Copyright

About Copyright

Copyright Basics (12 pages)
Copyright basics from the U.S. Copyright Office.
Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright
Information from the U.S. Copyright Office.
Fair Use: 4 Factors
U.S. Copyright law's Fair Use exemption requires a fair use analysis. This VT Libraries page describes the four factors involved in a fair use analysis.
A Framework for Analyzing Any U.S. Copyright Problem
Five questions for analyzing any U.S. copyright problem.
Libraries, Academic Freedom and Copyright
Infographic from the Association of Research Libraries
Fair Use Fundamentals
Infographic from the Association of Research Libraries

Your Copyright

SPARC Author Addendum
If your publishing contract does not allow you to retain copyright or archive your work, consider using this addendum with your contract to retain the rights you want.
Copyright Addendum Engine
Enter your information and the rights you want to retain, then generate a PDF to attach to your contract.
Understanding Rights Reversion
Have you written a book that has fallen out of print? Would you like to broaden your readership? Find out about rights reversion from the Authors Alliance.
Authorship and Ownership in U.S. Copyright Law
FAQ from the author's perspective from the Authors Alliance.

IP Ownership at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech's most relevant policies in this regard are the Policy on Intellectual Property (Policy 13000) and Ownership and Control of Research Results (Policy 13015).

Open Licensing: Creative Commons

Creative Commons licenses are a way to give certain permissions in advance, overcoming reader uncertainty about how your work can be shared and re-used. It represents a shift from "All Rights Reserved" to "Some Rights Reserved." The licenses work alongside copyright; you are still the copyright owner. By giving permission in advance, you increase the efficiency of knowledge sharing. Learn more about Creative Commons below:

About Creative Commons
About CC Licenses
Choose a CC license
Guide to Creative Commons for Humanities and Social Science Monograph Authors
This 2013 report addresses concerns from authors about Creative Commons licenses.

Defining Openness

Defining the "Open" in Open Content
David Wiley on the five Rs: the ability to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.
The Open Definition
A definition of "open" from the Open Knowledge Foundation.

Open Access

Institutional Repository Manager

Associate Professor / Assistant Director of Open Education and Scholarly Communication Librarian

License

About Copyright

Your Copyright

IP Ownership at Virginia Tech

Open Licensing: Creative Commons

Defining Openness