Will your dissertation include quotations, maps, photos, or other material copied from other sources?
•The works you quote or reproduce are also likely copyrighted.
•Depending on the situation, you might need to get permission from the copyright owners to use these materials. Permissions, if needed, may be difficult and time-consuming to acquire.
•Your agreement with Proquest/UMI indemnifies them from any third party claims and includes a statement that you have the necessary rights to reproduce any copyrighted work.
The following are cases where it is unnecessary to request permission from a copyright holder to quote or reprint her/his work
Works in the Public Domain – In U.S. 1924 and before OR if you can prove copyright has expired. Foreign copyright terms vary – ask a librarian, if unsure.
U. S. government documents – not copyrighted and free to use.
Creative Commons – works where the author voluntarily ceded copyright protections for derivative uses, often asking only for attribution. Check creativecommons.org to verify.
Fair Use – Section 107 of US Copyright Law allows limited uses of copyrighted material without asking permission – for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, parody, scholarship, and research. It requires that you weigh four factors….
All four factors must be considered in determining whether yours is a fair use.
Fair Use Evaluator - online tool
Fair Use is considered on a case-by-case basis, there are no hard guidelines. If considering a fair use of copyrighted work, contact the AU Library's Copyright specialist if unsure if your use qualifies.
1.Identify the copyright holder. Caveat: This is not always easy because rights are often signed over to a publisher or will transfer upon the death of the owner so a copyright lawyer is sometimes necessary.
2.Locate the copyright holder: Once you have a name, contact Copyright Clearance Center (copyright.com) or other collective licensing agencies to locate address. If needed, contact a librarian for assistance.
3.Request written permission from the rights holder: A letter template is provided on the AU website http://www.american.edu/provost/grad/etd/upload/ETD-Appendix-C.pdf