Copyright Basics Guide

Welcome to the Copyright Basics Guide. This guide will inform you on copyright law and issues pertaining to the use of copyrighted materials. It will not supply legal advice, nor is it intended to replace the advice of the FDU Office of the General Counsel. If you would like to arrange a consultation, please contact the Digital Initiatives Librarian.

This guide contains the following pages:

• Introduction to Copyright: Information about protected works, author rights, and copyright duration
• Fair Use: Information on the Four Factors of Fair Use and a fair use checklist
• The Public Domain: Finding and using works in the Public Domain
• Classroom Copyright: Information on the best practices for both in-person and online instruction
• Open Access, OER, and Creative Commons licensing
• Copyright Decision Tool: Helps guide general decisions for using copyrighted materials
• Additional copyright-related resources