Policy 3910I
COPYRIGHT
It is the policy of the Board of Trustees that all College employees follow all rules, regulations and laws which pertain to copyright.
Respect for the intellectual work and property of others is essential to the mission of colleges and universities. Just as plagiarism is not tolerated, the College does not condone the unauthorized copying and use of copyrighted materials.
Procedure 3910I
COPYRIGHT
It is the policy of the Board of Trustees that all College employees follow all rules, regulations and laws which pertain to copyright.
Respect for the intellectual work and property of others is essential to the mission of colleges and universities. Just as plagiarism is not tolerated, the College does not condone the unauthorized copying and use of copyrighted materials.
What is Covered
Although copyright laws cover a wide variety of creations, virtually all of the problems
encountered by community colleges involve one of the following creations:
- Printed Materials
- Computer Software
- Audio-Visual Materials including videotaping television programs
Automatic Copyright
Works created after January 1, 1978, are copyrighted under the federal statute upon
their creation. The two fundamental criteria of copyright protection are originality
and fixation in tangible form. There is no requirement of novelty, ingenuity, or
aesthetic merit.
Responsibility
The primary responsibility for ensuring that copyright rules, regulations and laws
are adhered to rests with the College employee directly using the material. Secondary
responsibility lies with College supervisory personnel. Thus, it is incumbent upon
all individuals involved with copyrighted materials, both directly and indirectly,
to become aware of copyright rules, regulations and laws and what activities associated
with copyright are occurring in their respective areas of responsibility.
Copyright Resource Centers
Because copyright rules, regulations and laws are complex and often confusing, the
College hereby establishes three Copyright Resource Centers. These centers are existing
departments staffed with an individual responsible, upon request, for disbursing written
literature on specific copyright areas and for assisting individuals in understanding
copyright.
Copyright Area Resource Center
- Printed Materials Library (Director of Library Services)
- Computer Software Computer Center (Director of Information Technology)
- Audio Visual Media Center (Media Technician)
Copyright Ownership
Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright for works created by Western
Wyoming Community College employees is defined in the Intellectual Property Policy
3910N. As a general guideline, the 1976 Copyright Act gives ownership to the creator
of published and unpublished works. However, when an employee uses significant College
resources to develop an intellectual property, then ownership is not automatically
solely that of the employee and must be defined.
Adopted March 22, 1990
Revised January 25, 2001
Reformatted April 28, 2010