Copyright Guide

If your intended use of copyrighted work is not covered by Fair Use or one of the exemptions, you should seek permission from the copyright owner.

1. Identify the Copyright Owner: In academic publishing, the author may have transferred their copyrights to the publisher. Be sure that you are seeking permission from someone who can actually grant it.
2. Contact the Copyright Owner: Publishers may have instructions or a contact posted on their website for securing permissions. There are also companies that license work a group of holders, such as the Copyright Clearance Center. You will want to detail the specific work you are referencing and any and all planned uses of the work.
3. Keep a Record: If you are successful in obtaining permission, keep any of the related correspondence. If you are not successful in obtaining permission, you may want to still retain related correspondence to demonstrate a good faith attempt to contact the copyright owner.

If you wish to show a film to a group other than students enrolled in a specific course, the copyright exception does not apply, so you need to obtain public performance rights to show the film.

To request public performance rights for films on the Wofford campus, please contact Talicia Murphy-Dawson in the Department of Campus Life and Student Development.