Copyright and Fair Use: Getting Permission

When deciding if you need permission to use a work, do the following:

• Determine the work's copyright status
• If the work is not covered by copyright, provide appropriate attribution and proceed
• If the work is still covered by copyright, do a fair use analysis
• If you believe your use is fair, you do not need to request permission. 
• If your use is not fair, determine the copyright holder and request permission

When none of the exceptions apply, then permission to copy, distribute, display, adapt, perform, or transmit gets obtained from the rights holder. There are many ways to do this:

• check for works at the Copyright Clearance Center or Creative Commons.
• do a general web search using the rights holder's name to find contact information
• check the publisher's page; it may have copyright permission web pages with email addresses and request forms
• the registration record that's available through the online catalog of the U.S. Copyright Office will have contact information
• Use Twitter to locate and connect with the creator
• Use WATCH (Writers, Artists, and Their Copyright Holders) or Firms Out of Business.

Many times rights holders will grant permission without charging a fee!

If you need help with locating the rights holder or discovering what rights may still apply, contact one of our librarians.