Copyright for Web Page Builders

There's one important message that web page builders must always keep in mind:

Copyright applies to online material

All of the information -- the text, the graphics, the sounds -- everything is covered by copyright law as it would be if it were printed on paper. It's just as illegal to use a picture of Mickey Mouse on your web page as it is to put one on a book cover or business card. If you didn't create the original text or image yourself, someone else owns the copyright.

The fair use principles of the copyright law also apply, but their application can be confusing in the online world. Copyright and its application to web pages is a huge topic, and fortunately someone has done the research already. For more information on this topic, visit the Fair Use of Copyrighted Works site from CETUS. For information on the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) see EduCause's page on it.

Carleton has registered an agent for notification of claims of copyright infringement pursuant to Section 512(c) of the Copyright Act.

Last modified: Wednesday, 06-Nov-2013 10:05:44 CST
by Brian Patterson, bpatters@acs.carleton.edu