Compact Copyright: Quick Answers to Common Questions

by Sara R. Benson

Focusing on copyright topics that arise frequently, including the right of first sale, fair use, and copying for preservation, this book will help library workers provide quick guidance for common situations. Faculty, students, and colleagues come to you with copyright questions, both simple and complex. And they all want reliable answers—as fast as you can get them. With this guide, designed for ready access, you’ll be prepared to deliver. Lawyer, copyright librarian, and iSchool instructor Benson presents succinct explanations ideal for both on-the-fly reference and staff training. Copyright specialists will appreciate excerpts from the law itself alongside tools and resources for digging deeper. Practical discussions of key legal concepts, illustrated using 52 scenarios, will lead you to fast, accurate answers on a range of topics, such as barriers to using the TEACH Act provisions in content for online teaching; showing a full-length movie in a university class; public domain and the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act; your legal options when receiving a DMCA take-down notice; court interpretations of fair use in three key recent cases; Creative Commons licenses, complete with a quick reference chart; library rights to license photographs in a digital collection; using letters under copyright in a special collections display case; a grad student’s right to use in a thesis writing published in their professor’s journal article; applying the implied license option to post historical student dissertations in institutional repositories; the Marrakesh Treaty provision supporting transfer of accessible works internationally; and limiting factors for interlibrary loan.

176 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2021

Reviews

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable and useful book on copyright with an academic library focus. In short chapters, the author provides the relevant laws, a discussion of how they apply to libraries, a few short case studies with her recommendations for interpreting copyright law, and annotated resources for additional research. And it is, as the title suggests, rather compact. A great reference for an academic librarian or anyone interested in the ins and outs of copyright.

[Allyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful guide for librarians with copyright questions. Not very long, so it is easier to browse through or find answers to specific questions quickly. I like the scenario sections in particular for clarity of the content.

[Homewrecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of copyright law for librarians.